Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissetteis a Canadian-American alternative rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s, with two commercially successful dance-pop albums. Afterwards, she moved to Los Angeles, California, and in 1995, released Jagged Little Pill, a more rock-oriented album which sold more than 33 million units globally. Her following album, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, was released in 1998...
NationalityCanadian
ProfessionRock Singer
Date of Birth1 June 1974
CityOttawa, Canada
CountryCanada
I have a profound empathy for people who are in the public eye, whether they manifest it themselves or whether it happened by accident - it doesn't matter to me. I think there's a great misunderstanding of what it is to be famous.
When someone says that I'm angry it's actually a compliment. I have not always been direct with my anger in my relationships, which is part of why I'd write about it in my songs because I had such fear around expressing anger as a woman.
Writing the record for me - every record is almost a surprise. When people ask me, what are the themes you want to grapple with on this one? I have no idea until the record's finished.
Ageism works in both directions. As a teenager in the public eye, people would talk condescendingly to me. When you get older there's this feeling that you have to start carving up your face and body. Right now I'm in the middle ground - I think women in their thirties are taken seriously.
I was always such a people-watcher. I would sit on street corners alone and watch people and make up stories about them in my head. Then, all of a sudden, I was the one being watched.
So many boys, so little time...
In a perfect world, there would be no censorship, because there would be no judgement.
Over the last couple of years, I've really worked toward balancing my life out more, having a little bit more time with friends, family and my boyfriend. There was a period of time when they were way down the list. It was all about music and touring and if everything fell by the wayside, so be it.
...and what it all comes down to is that I haven't got it all figured out just yet.
I'm clearly most well known for my music. Eventually, ultimately, I'll be writing books. I'm still writing articles now. I just consider myself a writer.
I understand that people are afraid. Because I think censorship is about fear. It's just fear being projected onto art.
But once I acclimated and really used fame for what it was offering me as a tool to serve my life purpose of inspiring and contributing, then it started to get fun again.
But I love to entertain. My vocation is to accrue all these experiences, to write about them, to get them out of my system, to not get sick, and then to share them publicly.
I think it's irresponsible when celebrities imply they're doing it all themselves. My son has aunties and uncles around all the time, and my husband is my hero. He's really full-on. I couldn't do it any other way.