NEW YORK, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. singer Jewel said her talent-search TV show, "Nashville Star," fills a new talent void created by a changing record industry.
Jewel spoke of the program, entering its fifth season of the USA Network, while promoting her new song, "Quest for Love," which appears on the soundtrack of "Arthur and the Invisibles."
"'Nashville Star' is filling a role, I think, record labels are struggling with right now, which is really developing singer-songwriter talent," Jewel said.
"It's harder for labels right now," she said. "A lot more cloning is going on. If an artist breaks through, they'll copy that and they don't spend as much time finding a little bit of a rougher artist. I think they forget, too, that America actually likes an artist like that and (this) gives America a chance to have direct contact with all of the contestants. They all write, they all play at least one instrument ... and they all write their own songs, which is unheard of."
