Never Broken by Jewel

Author:Jewel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2016-09-01T10:30:38+00:00

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Filmed at the Inner Change Coffeehouse shortly after I was signed. This video was part of the electronic press kit for Pieces of You.

eighteen

will she fix her teeth?

If you’re a young, unknown artist in a highly competitive field, you have to find an edge, not only in the larger scope of the business among literally thousands vying for the few slots on the charts but also at your own label. There are hundreds of artists at any given time fighting for a piece of the same budget. The label can’t invest in every artist at the same level, and like horse races, executives begin to bet on their favorite to win. They might prioritize someone they’ve signed personally. They might favor someone who seems easy to work because they are radio-friendly. At this point, Danny Goldberg had left Atlantic, and I needed a new champion to protect me and fight for me. The person who stepped in was Ron Shapiro. He had seen me sing at a showcase in L.A. He believed unwaveringly in my talent and our careers became inextricably entwined. Although having an ally was not everything. I still had to work the system, within the label and outside it.

I took on a tremendous workload, as my only real secret weapon was live performances and my ability to outwork anyone. Because media didn’t really care about me yet, I couldn’t get on TV. Atlantic thought up crazy schemes to get me in front of people. I swallowed my pride and made it my job to make the best of any situation, to make people listen, and to make them remember me. And I tasked myself with making sure I didn’t compromise on integrity or artistry. No excuse. Never once did I phone one performance in, or accept being treated as background music, no matter how hard the gig was to conquer. I was frustrated a lot, and it wasn’t a lot of fun, but my competitiveness was rewarding. I was one gritty, mean, lean working machine. Fear of ending up on the street again was a powerful motivator. Danny Buch in the radio department came to me at one point with the idea to circumvent national radio. He was an excitable and passionate person, and he nearly spit whenever he talked, his enthusiasm spilling out of him. “Hey! Jewel! I can buy an hour on shortwave radio, channel 540 AM, and we can go down to Broadway and we’ll have a mile radius we can broadcast to! Do you know how many people there are in one mile of Manhattan?!” Me: “But how will people know to tune in?” Danny: “I’ll have interns walk around during rush hour wearing signs that say, ‘Hear new Atlantic recording artist Jewel on 540 AM,’ and we’ll have you stand on top of a van with a speaker system

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