The trailblazing singer-songwriter behind the 1995 hit ”I Kissed a Girl” Jill Sobule dies at age 66.
On May 1 of the year 2025, Sobule died, aged 60, in a house fire that occurred while she was asleep in her home in Woodbury, Minnesota.
Devastating house fire
Singer-songwriter Jill Sobule, whose 1995 anthem “I Kissed a Girl” rocked lesbian-and women’s-rights issues long before it was considered in vogue, has died.
Rolling Stone reports that she was 66.
In a devastating house fire at her home in Woodbury, Minnesota early Thursday morning, May 1, Sobule died, according to her publicity firm. Police in Woodbury are investigating the cause of the fire that burned at the house where Sobule was found, the Star Tribune reported.
The loss of Sobule comes just before two new projects were scheduled for release, including a 30th anniversary reissue of her breakout Atlantic Records self-titled.
Sobule sometimes has been described as one of the most underrated and underappreciated talents of the 1990s, and she created a space in music as honest as it was fearless. During over three decades, her music covered topics such as the death penalty, anorexial eating disorders, and LGBTQ+ rights.
The backstory of the iconic song
A native of Denver, Colorado, Jill Sobule was a force on the ’90s music scene who was way more than just another name: she was a fearsome force to be reckoned with as a cultural pioneer.
In 1990, she signed to MCA Records and released an album produced by legendary Todd Rundgren. It was all set for the record to make a big splash but when it didn’t, the label lost interest fast. It left Sobule feeling abandoned and overlooked in a period that found her spiraling into a difficult creative frustrating and emotionally spent time.
She was far from finished.
It wasn’t until her track “I Kissed a Girl” released in 1995 that someone had driven her through their front door and filled a room with a sticky floor to ceiling memory. The song became historical, it was first open LGBTQ themed song to be in Billboard Top 20, the peak was 20 on the Modern Rock Tracks.
Fabio in the video
Alongside its cheeky, tender depiction of same-sex attraction, it also served as an MTV sensation for its cheeky irreverence, combined with unexpected heart, in the pairing. And it became an iconic moment of the ’90s — Art Garfunkel’s nose and a massive Fabio crop up as the oblivious boyfriend in the music video.
What I wanted to write about was a first kiss. I would have been talking from a preteen or a 12 or 13 year old point of view if I was going to do it with a boy. I could talk about it from any age, and there was that with it, I thought that was really fascinating,” Sobule tells Knight-Ridder Newspapers shortly after the song starts picking up steam.
In the same year ‘Supermodel’ turned into pop culture history by being featured on the hit teen film, ‘Clueless,’ a move that seemed to feature Sobule firmly in the ’90s music scene.
“A force of nature”
During her three decades in the business, Sobule had released eight original studio albums; two EPs; and a greatest hits compilation. Her folk pop sound was very undeniable: witty character driven storytelling married with deeply cuIlt close ballads. Her style was always likened to the work of the 1970s legendary singer-songwriters but her lyrics were a very modern kind of bite.
Her longtime manager John Porter fondly remembered her as a ‘force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture.’ “I hope her music, memory, and legacy will go on living and continue to inspire others,” he added.
CNN reported that Sobule is survived by her brother and sister in law and nephews, cousins and a close circle of friends.
Jill Sobule always seemed unapologetic and always as herself, making fans laugh loudly with irony laced lyrics, making them cry from raw honesty. And in doing so, she provided for others who wanted to be themselves too. RIP!