Along with counterparts Jewel and
Fiona Apple, Alanis Morissette was one of the most
successful singer/songwriters to ride in on the
second wave of grrrl rock in the mid-'90s. Born on
June 1, 1974, Alanis Nadine Morissette and her two
brothers were raised in Ottawa, Canada by French-Canadian
and Hungarian parents. By the age of 10, the
precocious Morissette had landed a role on the
Nickelodean TV show "You Can't Do That on Television"
and recorded her first single, "Fate Stay With Me."
She spent most of her pre-pubescent years performing
throughout Canada, singing "O Canada" at sporting
events and even making the de rigueur appearance on
"Star Search."
The hard work paid off and at 14 Morissette was
offered a recording contract with MCA/Canada. Her
debut, Alanis, a collection of dance-pop songs, was
released in 1991 and went platinum in Canada. That
year, Morissette won the Juno award (Canada's Grammy)
for Most Promising Female Vocalist. Her sophomore
effort, 1992's Now Is the Time, was recorded and
released before Morissette graduated from high
school.
However, this album -- another collection of teeny
bop dance tunes -- sold only half as well as her
debut, and at age 17 it looked as if Morissette's
career was on the wane. After high school,
Morissette moved to Los Angeles where she had the
good fortune to hook up with songwriter/producer
Glen Ballard, known for his work with Michael
Jackson, Paula Abdul and Wilson Phillips. The
creative chemistry between Ballard and Morissette
was evident from the beginning. Ballard pushed
Morissette to pursue darker, edgier themes in her
music, venturing away from the cutesy teenager and
toward the introspective young woman.
"Most of the songs are, in a roundabout way,
actually addressed to myself," says Morissette of
her work with Ballard at this time. "There's a
certain aspect of the songs that's very confessional,
very unadulterated...It was a very unfettered,
spiritual experience."
The resulting demo tape was shopped around to the
major labels and Madonna's Maverick imprint
eventually signed Morissette. Jagged Little Pill,
was released in the summer of 1995. On the strength
of the break-out single "You Oughta Know," the album
reached platinum status and the Top 10. Follow-up
singles "Hand in My Pocket," "All I Really Want" and
"Ironic" kept Jagged Little Pill on the album charts
the next two years, ultimately selling 28 million
copies worldwide.
Morissette was showered with industry awards for
Jagged Little Pill, including Grammys for Album of
the Year, Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, Best
Rock Song and Best Rock Album. Her much-anticipated
follow-up, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, was
released in November 1998 on Maverick has sold over
7 million copies worldwide.
David Basham After finishing her recent tour with
Tori Amos, Alanis Morissette has headed to New
Zealand and Australia for a month-long tour, though
she took time out to tape an episode of "MTV
Unplugged" scheduled to air next month. Morissette's
stripped-down set was recorded at the Brooklyn
Academy of Music in mid-September, during which the
Canadian songstress performed acoustic versions of
such songs as "You Oughta Know," "Uninvited," and a
cover of the Police's "King of Pain." The Alanis
Morissette "Unplugged" is currently scheduled to be
broadcast on MTV on November 1. Morissette also
plans to release an accompanying "Unplugged" album
via Maverick Records on November 23, and a version
of "That I Would Be Good" from the taping is
tentatively set to be issued as a single in early
November. The song originally appeared on last
year's "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie.". |
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