Jill Sobule

Singer/songwriter Jill Sobule first captured widespread attention in 1995 through her tongue-in-cheek single “I Kissed a Girl,” which slyly referenced the media’s brief obsession with lesbian chic. Born in Denver, Colorado, in 1961, she developed an early passion for rock yet only began viewing music as a viable profession after spending her junior year of college in Spain. Back in the United States she left school to focus entirely on songwriting and performance, yet struggled for recognition while contending with depression and anorexia. Her debut arrived in 1990 with Things Here Are Different, produced by Todd Rundgren for MCA; the record quickly disappeared from stores and the label let her go. Discouraged and broke, she relocated to Los Angeles and began working as an assistant to a wedding photographer.

A turning point came when her attorney shared a demo with an Atlantic Records executive, who was struck by how her light, folk-tinged pop stood apart from the prevailing grunge sound and promptly offered her a deal. The 1995 self-titled album Jill Sobule brought renewed visibility, and the follow-up single “Supermodel” became another hit after it was prominently featured in Amy Heckerling’s box-office comedy Clueless. Her next effort, 1997’s Happy Town, earned praise for its greater emotional depth and maturity, though sales remained modest and Atlantic ended the partnership. Sobule stepped away from solo work to recover, then joined Lloyd Cole’s new group the Negatives on guitar in 1999. Securing a fresh contract with Beyond, she issued Pink Pearl in 2000. Subsequent years found her contributing to off-Broadway musicals, appearing on NBC’s The West Wing, writing songs for the Nickelodeon series Unfabulous, and portraying a street musician in the independent film Mind the Gap, which incorporated tracks later collected on 2004’s Underdog Victorious.