Jill Sobule was a quirky, folk-inspired singer/songwriter who achieved her biggest success during the heyday of grunge music. Born in Denver, Colorado, on January 16, 1959, she collaborated with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Todd Rundgren on her debut album, Things Here Are Different, which was released by MCA Records in 1990. Although the album proved to be a commercial disappointment, its follow-up — 1995's self-titled Jill Sobule — sold more than 100,000 copies and peaked at number 11 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. Playing an instrumental role in Jill Sobule's success was the album's lead single, "I Kissed a Girl," which peaked at number 20 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and cracked the Top 40 in Australia. Another track, "Supermodel," appeared on the platinum-selling soundtrack to the film Clueless that same year and reached number 53 in Australia. 1997's Happy Town expanded Sobule's sound but not her popularity, and she was dropped from her label following its release. Undaunted, she continued to tour the singer/songwriter circuit while albums like 2000's Pink Pearl, 2004's Underdog Victorious, 2009's California Years, and 2018's Nostalgia Kills were released by indie labels. Jill Sobule also dabbled with TV and film music, from her cameo appearance in the television series West Wing to her 2019 composition, "Lumberjill," that she wrote and sang during an episode of The Simpsons. Jill Sobule remained a popular cult artist, appearing on radio and television shows throughout her career. On May 1, 2025, just days after opening for veteran new wave group The Fixx, Jill Sobule died at the age of 66 in a house fire in Woodbury, Minnesota.
