Jill Sobule — she of ten whip-smart, catchy solo albums spanning 35 years — is heading to the Franklin Theatre on Sunday, April 13.
Best known for singles like “Supermodel,” “Bitter,” and the triumphant 1995 top-20 gem “I Kissed a Girl” (not the Katy Perry version), Sobule opens the sold-out show for The Fixx — the ’80s hitmakers behind “Red Skies at Night” and “One Thing Leads to Another.”
Sobule arrives on the heels of her acclaimed one-woman show and musical hybrid, Fuck 7th Grade, which ran off-Broadway in three successful stints from 2022 to 2024.
The production earned a nomination from the New York Drama Desk for Outstanding Musical. It also drew high praise from The New York Times, which called it “a show for Sobule fans, and for a queer audience, but it’s also for the many nerds who grew up to be the cool people.”
Part rock concert, part spoken-word memoir, Fuck 7th Grade traces Sobule’s journey growing up queer in the 1970s. The show is a coming-of-age tale full of confusion and identity crises. Her summation is “that unique living hell that is adolescence, when your body is outracing your brain.”
The 16-song arc maps her evolution from gender crisis and desperation to self-acceptance and joy.
Still, the last few years haven’t been all triumph.
Three years ago, Sobule underwent neurosurgery to treat essential tremors in her hands — an issue she now manages with neurotherapy. Even so, she never missed a beat, averaging about 100 shows a year.
Sunday’s concert, however, won’t be Fuck 7th Grade. This one’s a straight-up set: tight pop songs, sharp lyrics, and infectious hooks.
Whether you’re a die-hard fan or just someone who likes a good beat, don’t hesitate. Sobule sings like an angel, shreds on multiple instruments, and wraps even her most subversive messages in sugar-sweet melodies.
As New York Times critic Jon Pareles once wrote, Sobule makes “grown-up music for an adolescent age.”
The Fixx with Jill Sobule
Franklin Theatre, 419 Main St., Franklin, TN
Sunday, April 13 | 6 p.m.
