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Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
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Alanis Morissette was one of the most unlikely stars of the mid-'90s. A former child actress turned dance-pop diva, Morissette later transformed herself into a confessional alternative singer/songwriter in the vein of Liz Phair and Tori Amos. However, she bolstered that formula with enough pop sensibility, slight hip-hop flourishes, and marketing savvy to become a superstar with her third album, Jagged Little Pill.

Morissette was born in Ottawa, Canada, and began playing piano and writing songs during her childhood years. She also joined the cast of You Can't Do That on Television, a children's television program. Using money that she earned on the show, Morissette recorded an independent single, "Fate Stay with Me," which was released when she was only ten years old. Morissette then concentrated on a musical career after leaving the show's cast, signing a music publishing contract when she was 14. The publishing contract led to a record deal with MCA Canada, and Morissette moved to Toronto before releasing her debut album, Alanis, in 1991.

Alanis was a collection of pop-oriented dance numbers and ballads that found success in Canada, selling over 100,000 copies and earning the singer a Juno Award for Most Promising Female Artist. However, no other country paid much attention to the record. In 1992, Morissette released Now Is the Time, an album that closely resembled her debut. Like its predecessor, it was a success in Canada, even if its sales did not match those of Alanis. Following the release of Now Is the Time, Morissette relocated to Los Angeles, where she met veteran producer Glen Ballard in early 1994. Ballard had previously written Michael Jackson's hit single "Man in the Mirror," produced Wilson Phillips' hit debut album, and worked with actor/musician David Hasselhoff. The two decided to work together, and despite their shared experience with mainstream pop, they opted instead to pursue an edgier, alternative rock-oriented direction. The result was Jagged Little Pill, which was released in 1995 on Madonna's label, Maverick Records.

On the strength of the angst-ridden single "You Oughta Know," Jagged Little Pill gained attention upon its release in the summer of 1995. The song soon received heavy airplay from alternative radio outlets and MTV, sending the album into the Top Ten and helping it achieve multi-platinum status. Jagged Little Pill's subsequent singles -- "Hand in My Pocket," "All I Really Want," "You Learn," "Ironic," and "All I Really Want" -- kept the album in the Top Ten for an astounding 69 weeks, and Alanis Morissette was nominated for six Grammys in early 1996. She won several of those awards, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year.

While she never managed to replicate the success of Jagged Little Pill, Morissette continued to release well-received albums into the 21st century. Her much-anticipated follow-up, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, was released in the autumn of 1998, setting a record for the highest first-week sales by a female artist. An Unplugged set appeared a year later and featured a cover of the Police's "King of Pain," while 2002's Under Rug Swept saw Morissette writing and producing without the help of collaborators. So-Called Chaos followed in 2004. A year later, she took Jagged Little Pill on the road as an acoustic tour. Those tour dates led to the release of Jagged Little Pill Acoustic, an album originally (and tellingly) sold exclusively through Starbucks outlets. Morissette and her fans had grown up, and Collection -- an 18-track retrospective of her work -- followed in November 2005. But Morissette wasn't done, returning in 2008 with her seventh studio effort (and fifth international release), Flavors of Entanglement. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music GuideMore

Official Profile

Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette was one of the most unlikely stars of the mid-'90s. A former child actress turned ...
Songs: 91, Videos: 1, Playlists: 1, Blog Posts: 2, Polls: 0, Battles: 0

Most Popular Music Videos (14)

Crazy (Video)
(Duration: 3:40)
Sep 28th, 2:49pm
Hand In My Pocket (Video Version)
(Duration: 3:39)
Oct 7th, 5:47pm
So Pure (Video)
(Duration: 2:48)
Aug 23rd, 8:56am
Underneath [Making Of The Video]
(Duration: 3:54)
Aug 23rd, 9:15am
Everything (Video)
(Duration: 3:29)
Sep 27th, 9:03am
Underneath (video)
(Duration: 4:06)
Aug 23rd, 8:56am
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Fan Comments

Nov 12th, 9:05am
please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! come to San Diego Alanis Morissette! I love your all your songs!
Oct 27th, 3:40pm
listening Alanis since 1997 every single day!!!
Oct 17th, 2:46am
I've been listening to your songs since I was in highschool. I love your music
Oct 16th, 4:40am
♪♪Kisses♪♪
Oct 12th, 4:20am
Hey guys, if you're a big Alanis fan, you'll probably really dig Brandi Carlile - check out her page!
-Madison
Sep 28th, 9:33pm
Your music is pleasant and nice to me,thank you.(Czek Republik)
Jun 16th, 2:47pm
Thank you sweetie...you are wonderful