Who Was Jill Sobule? Know About I Kissed a Girl Singer and Her Feud With Katy Perry as She Dies at 66

Jill Sobule, the original voice behind I Kissed a Girl, had a long-running feud with Katy Perry over the song title, here’s what happened before her tragic death.

Written by Sakina Kaukawala , Entertainment Journalist

Published on May 02, 2025 | 02:11 PM IST | 65K

Jill Sobule and Katy Perry (via Getty Images)

Trigger Warning: This article contains references to an individual's death.

Singer-songwriter Jill Sobule has died at the age of 66 after a house fire broke out early Thursday morning in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to reports, firefighters received a call about the blaze around 5:30 a.m. and arrived to find the home already engulfed in flames. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Sobule was best known for her 1995 hit I Kissed a Girl, which gained renewed attention years later when Katy Perry released a different song with the same title in 2008, as per Mirror.

Though Jill initially played down the similarity between the songs, her attitude changed in the following years. In a 2009 interview with Rolling Stone, she spoke openly about her frustration with Perry and the situation. “In truth, she wrote it with a team of professional writers and was signed by the very same guy that signed me in 1995,” Jill said.

She added, “I have not mentioned that in interviews as I don't want to sound bitter or petty, 'cause, that’s not me.” But she didn’t hold back when describing Perry, saying, “F--- you Katy Perry, you f------ stupid, maybe 'not good for the gays,' title-thieving, haven't heard much else, so not quite sure if you're talented, f------ little s---.”

Jill Sobule was an American singer-songwriter celebrated for her witty, socially conscious lyrics and pioneering contributions to LGBTQ+ representation in music. Born on January 16, 1959, in Denver, Colorado, she rose to fame with her 1995 hit I Kissed a Girl, one of the first openly queer songs to chart on Billboard. Her track Supermodel also gained popularity after featuring in the film Clueless.

Over a three-decade career, Sobule released 12 albums, addressing topics like politics, mental health, and identity. She was an early adopter of crowdfunding, raising USD 75,000 for her 2009 album California Years.

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