Jewel was on the Today Show on Friday to perform ‘Intuition’ and ‘Standing Still’ from her forthcoming ’0304′ album and talk about her radical image makeover on the ‘Intuition’ video. “I’m doing things in this video that I never thought I’d do,” she admitted. “I’m dancing I’m getting sprayed down with a fire hose. It’s silly, and completely over the top and something you would absolutely see in a music video.” Video director Marc Klasfeld added, “My favorite is when our protesters, turn into dancers, do like a Britney-Christina type choreographed thing. So that’s the basic idea. So going to go from video to film, video to film, and it’s going to be this whole statement on what’s actually real in this culture of ours.” Read more and check out a video clip of her performances here.

In addition to Jewel turning down a spot on Rolling Stone’s Women in Rock issue as we reported earlier, the singer also was asked by Steppin’ Out magazine’s Chaunce Hayden if it bothered her more and more young female musicians are resorting to posing on the cover of men’s magazine in a thong in order to sell records and get radio play. “Well, it’s all about what you make it about. I’m terribly vain, but I haven’t been terribly vain about my lyrics! My vanity shows when I don’t want my cleavage to distract from my lyrics,” she said. “Nobody makes you parade your flesh in front of your music. The artists make that choice and that’s fine. I think Madonna’s been very responsible as far as liberating music and women, she’s been given a lot of credit for that. But it pretty much is dependent on sexually driven imaging. And it really set a precedent. But it’s not one you have to follow. I’ve sold 27 million records and guys find me very attractive and I’m still very sexy. There’s just a lot to be said for not showing it all.”

Jewel tells Steppin’ Out magazine that she turned down an offer to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone’s Women in Rock issue. “They asked me to be on the cover, but to me it didn’t seem like a women in rock issue,” she said. “Nothing against Shakira and Britney Spears but… That’s why I turned it down. I would have looked silly if I was on the cover!” She added, “It takes talent to do what those girls do. You can’t knock that… The cover just doesn’t have the integrity to be called a ‘Women in Rock’ issue. When Chrissie Hynde looks at that cover, does she laugh? Probably!”

M2M’s Marit Larsen checked in with fans on Thursday before their tour opening performance with Jewel on Friday. Marit said, “I’m in Tampa, Florida for the first time, and we’re a day away from doing our first show on our concert tour with Jewel. We had a great sound and lights rehearsal this afternoon and I am now crazily excited to perform tomorrow night… It’s going to be so great performing with our new band for the first time. We all just walk around smiling trying to contain ourselves. It’s going to feel wonderful to get started.”