Alanis Morissette (full name Alanis Nadine Morissette) was born on June 1, 1974 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada to a French-Canadian father and a Hungarian mother.
Biography and Career :
Alanis Morissette was raised in Ottawa, Canada, with her twin brother, Wade, and older brother Chad. Alanis got her start as a pop diva in the Canadian music industry, an industry that has seen fellow natives Shania Twain and Celine Dion also rise to international success.
Alanis Morissette was playing piano by the age of 6, and songwriting by the age of 9. Thrust into the spotlight at 10 years old, Alanis Morissette was cast in the children's television variety show You Can't Do That on Television. The child star also had a single on her plate, entitled, "Fate Stay With Me."
While her work o
n You Can't Do That on Television had already given Alanis Morissette name power, it was her meeting with Stephan Klovan in 1987 that turned her into a real pop diva. Impressed by Alanis Morissette's talent after having cast her to perform in Ottawa's Tulip Festival, Klovan helped her and a string of gigs such as singing pop-inspired versions of Canada's national anthem at sporting events, and even a shot on the talent show Star Search.
Alanis Morissette was signed to MCA/Canada at the age of 14 and in 1991, her pop-induced self-titled debut (at the time she was penned simply as Alanis) was released. At a time where female pop music was at its peak and riding on the coattails of pop stars Debbie Gibson, Tiffany and Belinda Carlisle, Alanis was a hit. While still in high school, Alanis already had a platinum album and a Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist. After the pop princess did not see as much success with her second album release, Now Is the Time, Alanis had to reevaluate her career choice.
After becoming a high school graduate, the former teenybopper moved to Toronto in hopes of pumping some life into her fading career as a musician. With nothing to lose and only plenty to gain, Alanis Morissette headed to Los Angeles, and had the good fortune of hooking up with songwriter-producer Glen Ballard in 1994. Along with Ballard, who had previously worked with Michael Jackson and Paula Abdul, Alanis Morissette was given the canvas to reach the core of her soul and sing with her emotions.
The resulting demo tape made its way to several record companies, but Madonna's Maverick was the lucky label that signed Alanis, and saw the fruits of her talent. Madonna even bought Alanis Morissette a hefty watch as a gift for the success of Alanis' album, Jagged Little Pill.
The album, which has sold more than 16 million copies since its release, spawned hit singles such as "Ironic", "You Learn," and "You Oughta Know." The latter can be considered a 90's version of "I Will Survive," a tribute to women who have been hurt in the past by a man.
Jagged Little Pill, the result of Alanis Morissette's introspection and soul-searching earned the female rocker Grammys for Album of the Year, Best Female Vocal Performance for "You Oughta Know" and Best Rock Album (out of a total of 6 Grammy nominations). The album also set the record for the best-selling US debut by a female solo artist, a record previously held by Whitney Houston.
After the phenomenal success of Jagged Little Pill, Alanis Morissette took some time off to contribute a single to the City of Angels soundtrack, and appear as God in the film Dogma. Alanis Morissette also went to India to do some soul-searching of a different kind, this time to find inner peace.
The result of this hiatus was the follow up to Jagged Little Pill, entitled Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie. With singles such as "Thank U", "Unsent" and "So Pure", listeners were treated to another side to the former "Jagged Pill": a much softer, less edgy one.
Although the album did receive critical acclaim, it did not see as much success as Jagged Little Pill (which was a tough act to follow). Alanis Morissette showed that she is no longer angry, and that she is more dimensional than the alternative rocker we once knew. Alanis Morissette was finally at peace, having found herself, and the album had a sense of closure and renewal.
Her next contribution to the music industry, Alanis Unplugged, consists of acoustic recordings. As for acting, she made her on-stage debut, performing in The Vagina Monologues, and appeared on an episode of Sex and the City, sharing an on-screen kiss with Sarah Jessica Parker.
In 2004 Alanis released her sixth full-length album called So-Called Chaos. She is engaged to her boyfriend of two years, actor Ryan Reynolds.
Filmography :
"We're with the Band" (2006) TV Series .... Alanis Morissette
"Degrassi: The Next Generation"
... aka Degrassi: La nouvelle génération (Canada: French title)
- Goin' Down the Road: Part 1 (2005) TV Episode .... Principal
"American Dreams"
... aka Our Generation (Australia) (USA: working title)
- What Dreams May Come (2004) TV Episode .... Singer in the Lair
De-Lovely (2004) .... Musical Performer - "Let's Do It, Let's Fall In Love"
Alanis Morissette: We're with the Band (2004) .... Alanis Morissette
The Great Warming (2003) (TV) .... Narrator
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) .... That Woman (God)
"Sex and the City"
- Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl... (2000) TV Episode .... Dawn
Dogma (1999) .... God
"Saturday Night Live"
... aka NBC's Saturday Night (USA: original title)
... aka SNL
... aka SNL 25 (USA: new title)
- Episode #24.4 (1998) TV Episode .... Musical Guest
- Episode #21.4 (1995) TV Episode .... Musical Guest
Anything for Love (1993) (uncredited) .... Alanis
... aka Just One of the Girls (USA: TV title)
"You Can't Do That on Television" (1979) TV Series .... Alanis (1986)
... aka You Can't Do That On TV (Canada: English title: 3-D video title)
|
Alanis Morissette Pictures
|
|
irrelevant
broken
