Jewel is revisiting one of the most surreal and dangerous chapters of her early career — a real-life encounter with Mexican police during a drug bust that would later inspire one of her most enduring songs.

Speaking during her Not Alone Summit at Wynn Las Vegas in November, the singer, who has reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200 with six albums, reflected on the experience in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, which first reported the story exclusively.

According to Jewel, the incident took place in the summer of 1994, when she was 20 years old and traveling through Mexico with longtime collaborator Steve Poltz during a break from writing music.

What began as a quiet songwriting retreat quickly escalated into something far more perilous. While spending time on a remote beach in Baj

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