The Stunning Transformation Of Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette seemingly has lived more lives than most people could imagine. From finding fame as a teenager and her star-making Jagged Little Pill album to therapy and addiction issues and playing God herself in Kevin Smith's Dogma, the iconic singer-songwriter is truly one of a kind. The proud Canadian is the first to admit she didn't think she'd be here today, crediting a whole host of people with getting her through moments that would break a weaker person.
Now in her 40s, Morissette is afforded the distance to take stock of her mistakes, acknowledge where she was led astray, and, most of all, to give thanks she made it this far at all. Thankfully, for those of us who have obsessed over her since we were moody teens ourselves, the prolific songwriter has plenty more to say as she gets older. If anything, Morissette is just getting started.
Morissette found stardom with Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill, the breakout record that put the young Morissette on the map, was actually her third. The first two albums were released in her native Canada, but barely made a peep elsewhere. As The Independent advises, Jagged Little Pill was written in just two months, over the spring of 1994. Morrissette liked it but didn't realize she was making a hit, recalling she thought she would've done, "Really well if the album sold 175,000 copies."
To date, it's sold a massive 33 million, as well as inspiring the titular musical, which opened on Broadway in late 2019. She stands by the record to this day, including the banger for a horrible ex "You Oughta Know," but she would update "Not the Doctor" since, after being married, Morissette realizes it doesn't reflect the reality of a long-term relationship.
Morissette struggled with the demands of fame
Although the singer-songwriter always wanted to be famous, the worldwide success that followed Jagged Little Pill gave her pause. As she admitted in an interview with The Telegraph, "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." It was overwhelming and Morissette began suffering anxiety attacks as a result.
She was used to having clear pictures in her head of what the next achievement would be, whether it was heading out on tour or writing a book. Suddenly, those visions disappeared, leading Morrissette to wonder what kind of life she'd set up for herself. "I'd achieved all the things that I'd been told were things to achieve," the Canadian admitted.
Morissette is now stronger than ever
Thankfully, Morissette weathered the storm, and everything else that followed, including well-publicized addiction issues. Speaking to The Guardian in 2020, she acknowledged dependencies on work, love, and food. Now a mother of three, who openly struggled with postpartum depression, the Canadian musician is in a much more stable place, acknowledging, "If I didn't have a whole team of therapists throughout my life, I don't think I'd still be here."
Music presents a different outlet for her now, with Morissette explaining, "Songwriting is an exercise in letting the unconscious out. I live my whole life, then I take 10 minutes to write the story of it." She recognizes her influence on bringing female artists to the fore, but argues it's depressing that, all these years after the release of Jagged Little Pill, she's still singing about dismantling the patriarchy.
Thankfully, something else has changed for the better. Morissette observed: "I used to feel like a freak in every room I was in. Now I don't feel strange."