Alanis Morissette

simple:Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette (born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian singer who was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Her parents are Alan and Georgia Morissette; her two brothers are Chad (older) and Wade (twin).

Morissette initially came to fame as a member of the Canadian children's television program You Can't Do That on Television, at the age of 12. Credited simply as Alanis (to avoid possible confusion with fellow Canadian singer Alannah Myles), Morissette's first album, Alanis, was issued in 1991, and her first single, "Too Hot", reached the Top 10 on the Canadian charts. Morissette was nominated for three Juno Awards: Single of the Year, Best Dance Record, and Most Promising Female Vocalist (which she won). Her second album, Now Is the Time, marked an attempt to move away from a teen dance-party sound toward a much more serious sound, but it was not quite as well received.

In 1995, at age 20, Morissette released her first international album, Jagged Little Pill ( Morissette suffered heavy criticism for her work from some quarters, with some critics noting her pop star past, and arriving at the conclusion that she was a mere recording industry puppet. She was attacked for collaborating with producer and image-maker Glen Ballard. Defenders noted that Morissette was responsible for all of Pill's lyrics, and many bands at the time featured members collaborating on songs, though only the front member ever receives most of the credit. Others called her sudden image change "calculated" and "greedy", while defenders note that the change in style to more adult themes was a natural progression for an artist emerging from her teens, and that her edgy brand of exposed, personally-revealing created rather than imitated a popular style. With later work, Morissette would prove that she could write as well as produce songs without the help of anyone, as well as play the piano, guitar, flute and harmonica. Jagged Little Pill garnered six Grammy Award nominations (she won for Album of the Year, Best Female Vocal Performance for "You Oughta Know", and Best Rock Album).

In 1998, she released Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (2001 she released Under Rug Swept which spawned the top ten hit "Hands Clean". In December 2002 she released a dual DVD/CD combination package, feast on scraps, which includes live footage from a Rotterdam concert of that same year, 8 new songs, and other features.

In 1999 she appeared in the Kevin Smith film Dogma in the role of God, though she has publicly called the Bible "patriarchal and sexist". She also contributed to the soundtrack of that film, as well as to the soundtrack of City of Angels in 1998. In South Park her music video was parodied with a quick shot of a fictional album cover entitled Alanis: Naked and Crying. She also appeared in the American comedy drama, Sex and the City, playing a bisexual who shares a kiss with Sarah Jessica Parker.

One of Alanis Morissette's most famous songs is "Ironic", whose lyrics list events and circumstances and describe them as ironic. The song has frequently been criticised on the grounds that many of the listed circumstances are not ironic at all, although some have noted the irony inherent in a song called "Ironic" that isn't.

As of late 2003, Morissette has been working on her fourth (or sixth) album. She has already debuted the sarcastic "8 Easy Steps" on American television. It is not known when the album would be released, what it is called, and whether Morissette has once again taken the role as sole writer and producer (as well as singer, flute and harmonica player).

Alanis Morissette has an official website and message board. Visit http://www.alanisutopia.com/ for the most popular Alanis Morissette message board.