Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette was born June 1, 1974. She is a Grammy Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter.
Morissette was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, to Alan and Georgia Morissette. Alanis has an older brother, Chad, and a twin brother named Wade. When she was 9 years old, Morissette wrote her first song. With the money saved from her stint on the children's television show, “You Can't Do That on Television,” Morissette released an indie single.
In New York City, Morissette landed a spot on “Star Search,” a popular American talent competition. She used her stage name, Alanis Nadine. Morissette flew to Los Angeles to appear on the show, but lost after one round.
In 1990, Morissette signed with MCA Records Canada and released her full-length debut album, “Alanis,” in 1991 with producer Leslie Howe. At the time, Morissette dropped her stage name and was credited simply as “Alanis.” The dance-pop album, which was only released in Canada, went double platinum, and its first single, “Too Hot,” reached the Top 10 on the Canadian charts. Subsequent singles included “Feel Your Love,” “Walk Away” and “Plastic.”
In 1993, Morissette moved from her hometown of Ottawa to Toronto. Living alone for the first time in her life, Morissette met with a bevy of songwriters, but the results frustrated her.
The turning point came when Alanis met songwriter/producer Glen Ballard. Ballard and Morissette recorded the songs on “Jagged Little Pill” literally as they were being written. According to Morissette, Ballard was the first collaborator who had encouraged her to express her emotions. By the spring of 1995, Morissette penned a deal with Maverick Records.
Morissette released her first international album, “Jagged Little Pill.”, Since expectations for the album were low, Morissette's manager and longtime friend, Scott Welsh, would later admit that he did not expect the album to sell any more than around 250,000 copies. The album débuted at number 118 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Things changed quickly when a Los Angeles DJ from an influential radio station stumbled onto “You Oughta Know” and began playing it nonstop. The song instantly garnered attention and a subsequent music video went into heavy rotation on MTV.
“Jagged Little Pill” went on to sell 16 million copies in the United States, and over 30 million copies worldwide, making it the most successful début record of all time. The album was nominated for six Grammy Awards. At the 1996 ceremony, Morissette performed “You Oughta Know.” That night, Morissette won awards for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, Best Rock Song, Best Rock Album and Best Album.
In 1998, Morissette recorded “Uninvited,” a song from the soundtrack to “City of Angels.” The track was never officially released as a single, but nevertheless received widespread radio airplay.
Three other albums followed, but only achieved minor success in comparison to that of “Jagged Little Pill.” To commemorate the tenth anniversary of her debut success, Morissette released a studio acoustic version on June 13, 2005, entitled “Jagged Little Pill Acoustic.”