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biography
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 Guide
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 Guide
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morissette: http://www.alanis.com - soup party with "Love Soup" author Anna Thomas
- morissette: http://www.alanis.com - soup party with "Love Soup" author Anna Thomas
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morissette: http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/13/morissette.eating.disorder/ Alanis article on CNN.com - her new outlook on health
- morissette: http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/13/morissette.eating.disorder/ Alanis article on CNN.com - her new outlook on health
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morissette: http://www.liveartsgroup.org/ - Alanis to perform at the Troubadour, in Hollywood CA on December 10, 2009... benefiting Live Arts Group
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- 11/07/2009
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- 3:14 AM
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- Twitter / morissette
- morissette: http://www.liveartsgroup.org/ - Alanis to perform at the Troubadour, in Hollywood CA on December 10, 2009... benefiting Live Arts Group
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morissette: http://www.alanis.com - New "Ask Alanis" question on alanis.com - can you remember the last time you laughed until you cried?
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- 11/03/2009
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- 7:33 PM
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- Twitter / morissette
- morissette: http://www.alanis.com - New "Ask Alanis" question on alanis.com - can you remember the last time you laughed until you cried?
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morissette: http://bit.ly/2Hw8Qv - singing the National Anthem at the World Series game today.
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- 11/03/2009
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- 3:47 AM
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- Twitter / morissette
- morissette: http://bit.ly/2Hw8Qv - singing the National Anthem at the World Series game today.
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comments
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Huge Fan
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- By Sloane100
- 1/1/0001 00:00:00
- Simply incredible listening experience.
I just discovered "Eight Easy Steps".
Awesome. - Be the first person to rate this comment!
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WOW!!!
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- By gabqui
- 1/1/0001 00:00:00
- en plus d'être belle comme un coeur elle a une voie débile qu'on en redemande encore. son album unplugged est vraiment écoeurant. Alanis, you are perfect!!!!!
- Be the first person to rate this comment!
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great stuff
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- By hoola20055
- 1/1/0001 00:00:00
- Alanis is no doubt pure win. I love almost everything she does. Although some of her songs on latest FOE are too popish for my liking, the rest make me see past all that. I think its her best work since JLP. I WANT an acoustic of this album sooooooooooooo bad. Alanis, here me? :))
- 3 out of 3 people
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TOOOO FUNNY!!!
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- By sin53
- 4/10/2008 03:14:33
- I was just hearing her music last night. Yes I love em all.... GOOD STUFF
- 1 out of 1 people
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Amazing!!
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- By Jennifer2082
- 1/1/0001 00:00:00
- While she may not be topping the charts like she did in the 90's, I think her last album, Flavors of Entanglement is the best work she has put out yet. I have been loving her since the 90's and there is no one/band I enjoy more. Her lyrics are powerful and I can't wait to see her live later this year.
- 8 out of 8 people
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- 1 - 5 / 9
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