MINNEAPOLIS, Minn (CelebrityAccess) — Jill Sobule, a pioneering singer-songwriter who wrote hits such as “Supermodel” and “I Kissed a Girl,” died in Woodbury on May 1. She was 66.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share that Jill Sobule—the groundbreaking, award-winning singer-songwriter and fierce human rights activist, who made history with her 1995 single ‘I Kissed a Girl’ as the first openly gay-themed song ever to crack the Billboard Top 20—died in a house fire early on May 1, 2025. Jill was 66. She loved her fans, and we thank you for loving her as much as we did,” a statement on Sobule’s website said.
Sobule had been scheduled to perform a hometown show at Swallow Hill Music in Denver on Friday, but the venue announced that a free, informal gathering in her memory will take place instead.
Born in Colorado in 1959, Sobule made her debut in 1990 with the release of Things Here Are Different and joined a burgeoning field of female singer-songwriters of the era, including Lisa Loeb, Alanis Morissette, Tori Amos, and PJ Harvey.
However, Sobule distinguished herself through frank lyrical storytelling that tackled subjects such as sexual orientation, making her one of the first artists to reach the charts with songs that openly addressed LGBTQ+ themes.
These included her signature 1995 hit “I Kissed a Girl,” which reached number 20 on the U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song’s title was later used by Katy Perry for her 2008 hit, though apparently without direct connection to Sobule’s version.
Sobule was also a pioneer in using crowdfunding to release music. In 2008, she launched the website jillsnextrecord.com, aiming to raise $75,000 to fund, produce, market, and release her next album. The project reached its goal in just 53 days, fueled by fan support.
Her final studio album, Nostalgia Kills, was released in 2018.
Beginning in 2020, Sobule served as musician-in-residence at the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice, an LGBTQIA+ community center in Princeton, New Jersey.
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