Tony Kanal
Kanal performing on stage with No Doubt.
Background information
Birth name	Tony Ashwin Kanal
Born	(1970-08-27) August 27, 1970 (age 41) Kingsbury, London, England
Origin	Anaheim, California, United States
Genres	Rock, reggae, ska, pop
Occupations	Musician, producer, songwriter
Instruments	Electric bass, keyboard, saxophone
Years active	1987–present
Associated acts	No Doubt, Gwen Stefani, Elan Atias, Pink, Miranda Cosgrove
Website	www.tonykanal.com

Tony Kanal (born Tony Ashwin Kanal; August 27, 1970) is a British-born American musician, record producer and songwriter. Kanal is the bassist for the American rock band No Doubt. His musical work outside of the band includes producing and songwriting with artists such as reggae singer Elan Atias and No Doubt bandmate Gwen Stefani, among others.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Kanal's father Gulab and his mother Lajju are from India.^[1][2] His parents emigrated from India to London, England, where Kanal was born. While most of his early years were spent in London, Kanal and his family also spent brief periods living in Toronto, Canada, and Indiana, U.S.A., before eventually returning to London. At age eleven, he was taken by his family once again to the United States, where the Kanal family settled in Anaheim, California.^[1] There, his parents opened a store named "Kanal's Gifts and Fashion".^[3]

Music career[link]

Kanal's father suggested that Kanal learn to play the saxophone since it was the former's favorite instrument, so he bought one for Kanal.^[2] Kanal later learned how to play the bass from his schoolmate Dave Carpenter.^[1] After seeing one of third wave ska band No Doubt's early shows, he joined the band as its bassist.^[4] Kanal stated that his parents were ultimately supportive of his decision to pursue a career in music; however, they had wanted him "to go into a safe profession" and often reprimanded him for devoting so much time to music, sometimes at the expense of school.^[5]

Kanal enrolled at California State University, Fullerton to major in psychology.^[1] In October 1991, No Doubt began recording with producer Dito Godwin. When Interscope Records began turning songs down, No Doubt did it on their own. Over two years they recorded ten songs and released it independently.

When No Doubt went on hiatus, Kanal began a career behind the mixing console. In 2004, Kanal produced three songs for the soundtrack to 50 First Dates. Also in 2004, Kanal produced and co-wrote three tracks on Gwen Stefani's first solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby.. Kanal then produced Elan Atias's debut album, Together as One, which was released in June 2006. Kanal again worked with Gwen Stefani for her follow-up solo album The Sweet Escape, released in 2006. He has created several remixes, including ones of Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" and Gang of Four's "Ether". Kanal produced the song "Rent" for the ska punk band Pepper's 2006 album No Shame.

In 2008, he collaborated on two songs titled "Sober" and "Funhouse" with Pink for her album Funhouse and also sang back-up on "Crystal Ball". In late 2009, Kanal co-wrote and played bass for a song of former Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt's debut solo album.^[6] Kanal also contributed on track seven of Weezer's 2010 album Hurley. He received co-writing credit for the song "Smart Girls". In 2010, Kanal co-wrote, produced, and performed bass on the track "Kiss You Up", recorded by Barbadian artist Shontelle for her sophomore album, No Gravity.^[7]

No Doubt reunion[link]

With Stefani promoting her second solo album, No Doubt began initial work on a new album without her^[8] and planned to complete it after Stefani's tour was finished.^[9] In March 2008, the band started making posts concerning the progression of the album on their official fan forum. Stefani made a post on March 28, 2008 stating that songwriting had commenced but was slow on her end because she was, at the time, pregnant with her second child.^[10]

Kanal during No Doubt's 2009 summer reunion tour.

Manager Jim Guerinot said the yet-untitled album is being produced by Mark "Spike" Stent, who helped produce and mix Rock Steady. Between Stefani's pregnancy and recording, No Doubt did not tour in 2008, but Guerinot promised, they plan to hit the road hard in 2009 for their first full-fledged band tour in nearly five years.^[11]

No Doubt announced on their official website that they would tour in the summer of 2009 with Paramore, The Sounds, Janelle Monáe, Bedouin Soundclash, Katy Perry, and Panic! at the Disco. while finishing their upcoming album, which is set for release in 2010.^[12][13]

In 2009, No Doubt made an appearance on the television series Gossip Girl, playing a fictional band called "Snowed Out" in the episode "Valley Girls".^[14] They performed their cover version of the Adam and the Ants song "Stand and Deliver".^[15]

Personal life[link]

During a party where No Doubt performed in mid-1987, Stefani tried to kiss Kanal when the two went for a walk.^[16] Kanal initially rejected her, later commenting, "It was pretty much an unspoken rule that nobody dates Gwen...almost like a bunch of brothers and our sister."^[17] He gave in, and the two began dating secretly. The band was suspicious of them, warning Kanal against dating her, but he denied the relationship.^[16]

While the band was working on its third album Tragic Kingdom, Kanal broke up with Stefani. She later explained that he was feeling "claustrophobic" in the relationship since he did not have any previous experience being in a relationship. She stated that the break-up "took ages" because the two were close friends and Kanal did not want to hurt her. After the break-up, he offered to leave the band, but Stefani replied that she wanted him to stay.^[16] Many of the songs on that album were written by Stefani about the breakup, most notably the hit "Don't Speak" [2]. Many years later, Stefani co-wrote her hit song "Cool" about their relationship as friends for her 2004 debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby.^[18]

Kanal is dating the American actress Erin Lokitz.^[19] On September 15, 2010 they announced they were expecting their first child. On January 24, 2011, they welcomed their first daughter, Coco Reese Lakshmi Kanal.^[20]

Musical equipment[link]

Kanal endorsed Yamaha basses which he runs through Gallien-Krueger heads into Ampeg cabinets.^[21]

Basses[link]

• Yamaha BB1 600 used 1987 to 1996
• Yamaha BB3000 4 String Model
• Yamaha BB3000 5 String Model
• Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay
• Fender Standard Jazzbass

Amplification[link]

• Gallien-Krueger 800RB Heads
• Ampeg SVT 8x10 Cabinet

Other[link]

• Samson Wireless Unit
• Korg DTR-1 Tuner
• Ernie Ball Strings on his musicman
• GHS boomers on his yamaha

Discography[link]

No Doubt

• 2004: Everything in Time (b-sides, rarities, remixes) (Interscope Records)
• 2003: The Singles 1992-2003 (Interscope)
• 2001: Rock Steady (Interscope)
• 2000: Return of Saturn (Interscope)
• 1995: Tragic Kingdom (Interscope)
• 1995: The Beacon Street Collection (Interscope)
• 1992: No Doubt (Interscope)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Tony Kanal's official website
• No Doubt's official website
• Tony Kanal at the Internet Movie Database
• Kingbury Studios website
• Tony Kanal's producer profile on The 1 Second Film

Tom Dumont
Dumont during No Doubt's 2009 summer reunion tour
Background information
Born	(1968-01-11) January 11, 1968 (age 44) Los Angeles, California
Origin	Irvine, California, United States
Occupations	Guitarist, producer, audio engineer
Instruments	Guitar, keyboard, synthesizer
Associated acts	Rising, No Doubt, Invincible Overlord
Website	www.tomdumont.com

Thomas Martin "Tom" Dumont (born January 11, 1968) is an American guitarist and producer. Dumont is a member of third wave ska band No Doubt, and during the band's hiatus, he began Invincible Overlord as a side project and produced Matt Costa's Songs We Sing.

Life and career[link]

Born in Los Angeles, California, the Dumont family lived in Irvine, California. Tom was the only adopted child in his family and has two siblings.^[1] Dumont's father, who played the piano, gave his son a guitar at age twelve. Dumont practiced by strumming folk songs by the likes of James Taylor. Dumont was influenced by heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and KISS.^[2] He joined his older sister's heavy metal band Rising,^[3] but left in 1988 for third wave ska band No Doubt. He has one sister named Gina and a brother named John.

Dumont studied music theory for five semesters at Orange Coast College.^[2] When the band moved into a house on Beacon Avenue in Anaheim, he wrote a poem about being addicted to television. He took the poem to Eric Stefani, who put the poem to music and came up with the song "Trapped in a Box". The song was recorded for the band's self-titled debut album and was the album's only single.^[4]

The band later self-released The Beacon Street Collection in March 1995. The same month, Dumont left his job as a file clerk at a mortgage company. He had "a good feeling" about having finished recording Tragic Kingdom and planned to fall back on promoting rock concerts if the album was not successful.^[5] Tragic Kingdom became a commercial success, certified diamond in the United States^[6] and selling sixteen million copies worldwide.^[7] When Eric left the band, Tom took leadership in writing and composing responsibilities.

After the Tragic Kingdom tour, Tom returned to his home in Long Beach, California and started surfing in 1997.^[8] Dumont is a member of The Surfrider Foundation, an environmental organization to preserve coastal life. Since Eric Stefani left, Tom Dumont, Tony Kanal and Gwen Stefani became No Doubt's primary songwriters.

During No Doubt's hiatus, Dumont produced Matt Costa's 2005 debut album, titled Songs We Sing, after hearing a demo tape by Costa.^[9]

Reunion with No Doubt[link]

Dumont, along with Tony Kanal, during No Doubt's 2009 summer reunion tour.

With Stefani promoting her second solo album, No Doubt began initial work on a new album without her^[10] and planned to complete it after Stefani's tour was finished.^[11] In March 2008, the band started making posts concerning the progression of the album on their official fan forum. Stefani made a post on March 28, 2008 stating that songwriting had commenced but was slow on her end because she was, at the time, pregnant with her second child.^[12]

Manager Jim Guerinot said the yet-untitled album is being produced by Mark "Spike" Stent, who helped produce and mix Rock Steady. Between Stefani's pregnancy and recording, No Doubt did not tour in 2008, but Guerinot promised, they plan to hit the road hard in 2009 for their first full-fledged band tour in nearly five years.^[13]

No Doubt announced on their official website that they will tour in the summer of 2009 with Paramore, The Sounds, Janelle Monáe, Bedouin Soundclash, Katy Perry, and Panic at the Disco. while finishing their upcoming album, which was set to be released in 2010 but has been delayed.^[14][15] Tickets for the tour went on sale March 7, 2009.^[16] As a special promotion for the tour, the band is giving away their entire music catalog free as a digital download with purchase of top tier seating.^[17]

In 2009, No Doubt made an appearance on the television series Gossip Girl, playing a fictional band called "Snowed Out" in the episode "Valley Girls".^[18] They performed their cover version of the Adam and the Ants song "Stand and Deliver".^[19]

Personal life[link]

Dumont and his wife Mieke have three sons together: Ace Joseph Dumont, born April 6, 2006, Rio Atticus Dumont, born June 18, 2008, and Koa Thomas Dumont, born February 19, 2011.^[20] According to the band's record label representative, the couple was married in October 2004.

According to his No Doubt band mates, when Dumont drinks enough alcohol he becomes an alter-ego doppelganger named "The Douche".^[21]

Equipment[link]

Dumont is endorsed by Hamer Guitars^[22] and favors vintage MXR effect pedals. During live performances, he uses Divided by 13 amplifiers, but has also used Soldano, Vox, Fender, Matchless, Fender and Silvertone amplifiers while recording.^[23][24]

Guitars[link]

• Hamer Standard natural finish
• Hamer Vector
• Hamer Korina Standard
• Hamer Korina Junior
• Hamer Newport
• Hamer Newport with humbuckers

Effects[link]

• MXR Phase 90
• MXR Phase 100
• MXR Blue Box
• MXR Micro Amp
• MXR Auto Q
• MXR Bass Octave Deluxe
• Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
• Dan-Echo
• Eventide Time Factor
• Eventide Mod Factor
• Malekko Ekko 616
• Tone Freak Effects Buff Puff
• Tone Freak Effects Naked OD

Amplifiers[link]

• Divided by 13 RSA 31 Heads
• Soldano SLO 100
• Matchless Clubman 35
• Fender Pro Junior
• Divided by 13 4x12 Cabinets equipped with 16ohm Celestion G12M Greenbacks.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Dumont's weblog
• Invincible Overlord - Dumont's independent musical project with collaborator, Ted Matson

Gavin Rossdale
Gavin Rossdale at NOVA ROCK 2008
Background information
Birth name	Gavin McGregor Rossdale
Born	(1965-10-30) 30 October 1965 (age 46) London, England, United Kingdom
Genres	Alternative rock Post-grunge Hard rock Grunge
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar
Years active	1983–present
Labels	Interscope Records
Associated acts	Bush (1992–2002, 2010–present) Institute (2004–2006) Apocalyptica (2010) Carlos Santana (2010)
Website	www.gavinrossdale.com
Notable instruments
Fender Jazzmaster Fender Stratocaster Gibson Les Paul ESP Eclipse

Gavin McGregor Rossdale (born 30 October 1965)^[1] is an English musician, known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Bush as well as an actor. Following Bush's separation in 2002, which lasted for eight years, he was the lead singer and guitarist for Institute, and later began a solo career. He continues to perform both Bush and Institute songs during his solo concerts.^[2] Rossdale is married to fellow musician Gwen Stefani.

Early life (1967–1992)[link]

Rossdale was born in Kilburn, London, the son of Barbara Stephan (Bowie) and Douglas Rossdale, a doctor. His mother was born in Scotland and his father's parents were of Russian Jewish descent, the family's surname originally being Rosenthal.^[3][4] His parents divorced when he was eleven years old, and he was raised primarily by his father and aunt. His mother remarried and moved to Tampa, Florida. Rossdale has a younger sister, Soraya, and an elder one, Lorraine. Rossdale's half brother, David Rossdale, is the Bishop of Grimsby (a suffragan in the Diocese of Lincoln). Rossdale's half sister, Georgina Rossdale-Smith, is a doctor.

Rossdale learned to play bass guitar after hanging out with his sister Lorraine's boyfriend, who was in a band called The Nobodyz, but he switched to rhythm guitar. At 17, he left Westminster School, and formed a band called Midnight (formerly Little Dukes), which produced a couple of singles and many publicity photos. In 1991, Rossdale moved to Los Angeles for 6 months, lived where he could, and took whatever part-time jobs were available, including production assistant on video shoots. He spent some time in NYC before returning to England where he hooked up with future manager Dave Dorrell (MARRS), whom he had met in LA. In 1992, Rossdale formed Future Primitive, whose original line-up included screenwriter Sacha Gervasi, who left to pursue a film-making career. The band changed its name to Bush in the summer of 1994 and released the promo Sixteen Stone.

Career[link]

Bush (1992–2002)[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (September 2010)

Gavin has been the lead singer/songwriter for the British post-grunge rock band Bush since its inception. Their first album, Sixteen Stone (1994), was a huge commercial success. Almost overnight, Bush went from playing small pubs in London to headlining arenas in the US, the result of extensive, non-stop touring. However, some critics labelled them as an inferior derivative of bands such as Nirvana and Pixies, and this criticism followed them throughout their career as a band. In particular, Rossdale's forced, raspy singing voice and random, stream of consciousness-style lyrics were dismissed by some as an imitation of Nirvana's lead singer, Kurt Cobain. Although the band reached superstar status in the U.S., they failed to have much impact in the UK, which at the time was rather preoccupied with Britpop. The sole exception to this was their single "Swallowed", which reached Number 7 on the UK charts. A change in record labels, management and an extended hiatus did not bode well for the band, who unofficially split in 2002.

Bush's albums include the aforementioned Sixteen Stone, Razorblade Suitcase (recorded by Steve Albini), Deconstructed, The Science of Things, and Golden State, all albums had much success in terms of albums sales, which led Bush to be one of the best selling rock groups to come out of the nineties.

Post-Bush projects (2002–2009)[link]

Rossdale sang a song titled "Adrenaline" written by Tina, whom he thanked for submitting the lyrics for the soundtrack of the movie xXx, which is featured during the end credits. The song was also the official theme song for WWE's Unforgiven pay-per-view event in September 2002 and also was The Undertaker's Desire/Tribute theme of that same year.

He also guest appeared for Blue Man Group's "The Current" and is featured in its video. The song was used in the ending credits of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

In 2004, after Bush had been on hiatus for two years, Rossdale formed Institute. Their album, Distort Yourself, released on 13 September 2005 achieved moderate success and the single "Bulletproof skin" was used in the motion picture Stealth. In an interview published in November 2008, Rossdale noted that the Institute record was, "for all intents and purposes, a solo record. It was just a bad marketing decision to call it something else".^[5] Institute broke up in 2006, after one album.

Rossdale in August 2005

In 2007, Rossdale announced on his website that he was working on new music for a solo album. He wrote that he was very happy with the sound of the album, citing he went back to his roots with Bush. Rossdale's single, "Can't Stop the World," is the introduction theme to Fox's programme, Drive.

In 2007, he covered John Lennon's "Mind Games" for the album Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur. Later that year, Gavin finished recording his first solo record titled Wanderlust, released 3 June 2008. Gwen Stefani, Rossdale's wife, sings background vocals on the track "Can't Stop The World.", with other vocalists on the album including Shirley Manson, Katy Perry and Dave Stewart^[6] Bush and Institute guitarist Chris Traynor also played on the album. He also made a guest appearance on the DT8 Project album Perfect World, taking lead vocals and co-writing the track Falling.

On 1 April 2008 the first single from WANDERlust, "Love Remains The Same", was released through digital retailers. It entered the Billboard Hot 100 at Number 76, rising to 27 in October 2008, giving Rossdale his first Top 40 hit since the days when he fronted the post-grunge band Bush. Rossdale is planning a full-scale solo tour in Spring 2009.^[7] Of the album's title, Rossdale said, "I just liked it because it's kind of sexy enough, it's powerful, it's one word. Wanderlust sums up that desire for music and for singing and performing and this life."^[8]

Gavin also provides the vocals for the Apocalyptica song "End of Me," which is the lead single off of their latest album 7th Symphony.^[9]

Bush again (2010–present)[link]

On June 21, 2010, it was announced that Bush would be returning, and are planning to release a new album, The Sea of Memories, in the fall of 2011. It was released on September 13, 2011. Rossdale co-wrote two songs for Taylor Momsen's band The Pretty Reckless on their new album, Light Me Up. They are titled Fix Me and You. Bush will also be joining The Pretty Reckless for select dates on their world tour this winter.

Rossdale was also a judge for the 10th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.^[10]

Acting[link]

Rossdale appeared in the film Constantine (2005) playing the villain Balthazar. He has also appeared in the films Zoolander (2001), Mayor of the Sunset Strip (2004), Little Black Book (2004), The Game of Their Lives (2005) and How to Rob a Bank (2008). Additionally, he appeared in the crime drama television series Criminal Minds in an episode, "The Performer" (2009), portraying a rock star named Paul Davies who takes a vampire-like alter-ego named Dante whose music is involved in a string of exsanguination murders. He appeared in the eighth episode of season 5 of Burn Notice.

Personal life[link]

Rossdale's wife, Gwen Stefani

In 1995, Rossdale met Gwen Stefani, lead singer of the ska punk band No Doubt, when Bush and No Doubt were on tour.^[11] The two married in 2002. In 2005, on the radio show Loveline, Rossdale said that he and Stefani preferred to keep their relationship entirely out of the media, that he grew up in a chaotic home, and that having a stable environment for his family was important to him.

On 26 May 2006, Rossdale and Stefani had a son, Kingston James McGregor Rossdale, at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Kingston weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces.^[12] On 21 August 2008, Stefani gave birth to the couple's second son, Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale, in Los Angeles. He weighed in at 8 pounds, 5 ounces.^[13][14][15]

In 2004, a paternity test revealed that Rossdale was the father of Pearl Lowe's daughter, Daisy Lowe (born 1989); Rossdale and Pearl Lowe had had a brief relationship and Rossdale had been Daisy's godfather.^[16][17][18] Reportedly, Rossdale subsequently cut off all contact with his teenage daughter and her mother,^{[19][19][20][21]} but in 2009 several websites published photos of Daisy walking with Kingston on a London pavement.^[22][23] Both Daisy and Rossdale have said in 2010 interviews that their relationship is good. He has said "With Daisy, I just have to be respectful. I suppose it's more like a friendship."^[24]

In his 1995 autobiography Take It Like A Man, Boy George wrote that in the 1980s Rossdale had an affair with the British singer Peter Robinson, a.k.a. Marilyn. In a 1996 interview for Rolling Stone, Rossdale responded with a shrug: "That's George's take – he doesn't know me. There's a queue of people going to their lawyers about stuff in his book. I hope he manages to sell some books by putting my name in there."^[25] Elsewhere both Rossdale and Marilyn initially denied the story.^[26][27] Then in 2009, Marilyn confirmed it and said they had been "together five years" in the 1980s;^[27] in 2010, Rossdale said it had been experimentation and "part of growing up."^[28] Marilyn said, "Gavin and Gwen are perfect for each other, but he was the love of my life."^[27]

Rossdale and Stefani have homes in Primrose Hill (London), and Los Angeles (California). Rossdale is an avid tennis player.^[29] Rossdale and Stefani are also friends of tennis players Lindsay Davenport and Roger Federer – often seen supporting him at tournaments. At the 2010 Farmers Classic in Los Angeles, he teamed up with Michael Chang, playing against Jim Courier and comedian Jon Lovitz.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Gavin Rossdale Official Site
• Gavin Rossdale at the Internet Movie Database
• Gavin Rossdale at Allmusic

Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette signing autographs for fans after concert
Background information
Birth name	Alanis Nadine Morissette
Born	(1974-06-01) June 1, 1974 (age 38)
Origin	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Alternative rock, pop rock, electronica, post-grunge
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, actress, record producer
Instruments	Piano, guitar, flute, harmonica, bass, vocals
Years active	1987–present
Labels	MCA Canada, Maverick, Warner Bros., Epiphany Music
Associated acts	Tim Thorney
Website	alanis.com

Alanis Nadine Morissette (born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian^[1] singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination. Morissette began her career in Canada, and as a teenager recorded two dance-pop albums, Alanis and Now Is the Time, under MCA Records Canada.

Her first international album was the rock-influenced Jagged Little Pill, released in 1995. Jagged has sold more than 33 million units globally.^[2][3][4] Her following album, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, was released in 1998 and was a success as well. Morissette took up producing duties for her subsequent albums, which include Under Rug Swept, So-Called Chaos and Flavors of Entanglement. Morissette has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide.^[5][6][7] Morissette is also known for her powerful and emotive mezzo-soprano voice.^[8]

Morissette acquired United States citizenship in 2005.^[9]

Early life[link]

Morissette was born June 1, 1974 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada,^[10] the daughter of Georgia Mary Ann (née Feuerstein), a teacher of Hungarian descent,^[11][12] and Alan Richard Morissette, a French-Canadian high school principal.^[13] She has a twin brother, Wade Morissette, (also a musician) who was born 12 minutes after her.^[14] Morissette was raised Catholic.^[15] She attended Glebe Collegiate Institute (Ottawa, Canada) for high school.

Music career[link]

1987: First Demo[link]

Alanis recorded her first demo called "Fate Stay With Me" at Marigold Studios in Toronto, engineered by Rich Dodson of Canadian classic rock band, The Stampeders. ^[16]

1990–92: Early career[link]

In 1991 MCA Records Canada released Morissette's debut album, Alanis, in Canada only. Morissette co-wrote every track on the album with its producer, Leslie Howe. By the time it was released, she had dropped her stage name and was credited simply as Alanis. The dance-pop album went platinum,^[17] and its first single, "Too Hot", reached the top twenty on the RPM singles chart. Subsequent singles "Walk Away" and "Feel Your Love" reached the top 40. Morissette's popularity, style of music and appearance, particularly that of her hair, led her to become known as the Debbie Gibson of Canada;^[18] comparisons to Tiffany were also common. During the same period, she was a concert opening act for rapper Vanilla Ice.^[19] Morissette was nominated for three 1992 Juno Awards: Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year (which she won), Single of the Year and Best Dance Recording (both for "Too Hot").^[20]

In 1992, she released her second album, Now Is the Time, a ballad-driven record that featured less glitzy production than Alanis and contained more thoughtful lyrics.^[18] Morissette wrote the songs with the album's producer, Leslie Howe, and Serge Côté. She said of the album, "people could go, 'Boo, hiss, hiss, this girl's like another Tiffany or whatever.' But the way I look at it ... people will like your next album if it's a suck-ass one."^[19] As with Alanis, Now Is the Time was released only in Canada and produced three top 40 singles—"An Emotion Away", the minor adult contemporary hit "No Apologies" and "(Change Is) Never a Waste of Time". It was a commercial failure, however, selling only a little more than half the copies of her first album.^[18][21] With her two-album deal with MCA Records Canada complete, Morissette was left without a major label contract.

[edit] 1993–97: Move to Los Angeles and Jagged Little Pill

In 1993 Morissette's publisher Leeds Levy at MCA Music Publishing introduced her to manager Scott Welch.^[22] Welch told HitQuarters he was impressed by her "spectacular voice", her character and her lyrics. At the time she was still living at home with her parents. Together they decided it would be best for her career to move to Toronto and start writing with other people.^[22] After graduating from high school, Morissette moved from Ottawa to Toronto.^[18] Her publisher funded part of her development and when she met producer and songwriter Glen Ballard, he believed in her talent enough to let her use his studio.^[18][22] The two wrote and recorded Morissette's first internationally released album, Jagged Little Pill, and by the spring of 1995, she had signed a deal with Maverick Records. According to manager Welch every label they had approached had passed on Morissette apart from Maverick.^[22]

	"Ironic" (1996) noicon The two-time Grammy Award-nominated song is considered one of Morissette's signature tunes.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Maverick Records released Jagged Little Pill internationally in 1995. The album was expected only to sell enough for Morissette to make a follow-up, but the situation changed quickly when KROQ-FM, an influential Los Angeles modern rock radio station, began playing "You Oughta Know", the album's first single.^[23] The song instantly garnered attention for its scathing, explicit lyrics,^[18] and a subsequent music video went into heavy rotation on MTV and MuchMusic.

After the success of "You Oughta Know", the album's other hit singles helped send Jagged Little Pill to the top of the charts. "All I Really Want" and "Hand In My Pocket" followed, but the fourth U.S. single, "Ironic", became Morissette's biggest hit. "You Learn" and "Head over Feet", the fifth and sixth singles, respectively, kept Jagged Little Pill in the top twenty on the Billboard 200 albums chart for more than a year. According to the RIAA, Jagged Little Pill sold more than 16 million copies in the U.S.; it sold 33 million worldwide,^[24] making it the second biggest selling album by a female artist (behind Shania Twain's Come On Over).^[25][26] Morissette's popularity grew significantly in Canada, where the album was certified twelve times platinum^[17] and produced four RPM chart-toppers: "Hand In My Pocket", "Ironic", "You Learn", and "Head over Feet". The album was also a bestseller in Australia and the United Kingdom.^[27][28]

Morissette's success with Jagged Little Pill was credited with leading to the introduction of female singers such as Shakira, Tracy Bonham, Meredith Brooks, Patti Rothberg and, in the early 2000s, Pink and fellow Canadian Avril Lavigne.^[29] She was criticized for collaborating with producer and supposed image-maker Ballard, and her previous albums also proved a hindrance for her respectability.^[18][30] Morissette and the album won six Juno Awards in 1996: Album of the Year, Single of the Year ("You Oughta Know"), Female Vocalist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Best Rock Album.^[31] At the 1996 Grammy Awards, she won Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, Best Rock Song (both for "You Oughta Know"), Best Rock Album and Album of the Year.^[32]

Later in 1996, Morissette embarked on an 18-month world tour in support of Jagged Little Pill, beginning in small clubs and ending in large venues. Taylor Hawkins, who later joined the Foo Fighters, was the tour's drummer. "Ironic" was nominated for two 1997 Grammy Awards—Record of the Year and Best Music Video, Short Form^[33]—and won Single of the Year at the 1997 Juno Awards, where Morissette also won Songwriter of the Year and the International Achievement Award.^[34] The video Jagged Little Pill, Live, which was co-directed by Morissette and chronicled the bulk of her tour, won a 1998 Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Long Form.^[35]

Following the stressful tour, Morissette started practicing Iyengar Yoga for balancing, and after the last December 1996 show, she headed to India for six weeks, accompanied by her mother, two aunts and two female friends.^[36]

[edit] 1998–2000: Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie and Alanis Unplugged

	"Thank U" (1998) noicon The most successful single from 1998's Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie was written after a trip to India. "That I Would Be Good" (1998) noicon A live version of this ballad was released to promote 1999's Alanis Unplugged.
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Morissette was featured as a guest vocalist on Ringo Starr's cover of "Drift Away" on his 1998 album, Vertical Man, and on the songs "Don't Drink the Water" and "Spoon" on the Dave Matthews Band album Before These Crowded Streets. She recorded the song "Uninvited" for the soundtrack to the 1998 film City of Angels. Although the track was never commercially released as a single, it received widespread radio airplay in the U.S. At the 1999 Grammy Awards, it won in the categories of Best Rock Song and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, and was nominated for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.^[37] Later in 1998, Morissette released her fourth album, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, which she wrote and produced with Glen Ballard.

Privately, the label hoped to sell a million copies of the album on initial release;^[38] instead, it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 469,000 copies—a record, at the time, for the highest first-week sales of an album by a female artist.^[39] The wordy, personal lyrics on Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie alienated many fans, and after the album sold considerably less than Jagged Little Pill, many labelled it an example of the sophomore jinx.^[18][40] However, it received positive reviews, including a four-star review from Rolling Stone.^[41] In Canada, it won the Juno Award for Best Album and was certified four times platinum.^[17][42] "Thank U", the album's only major international hit single, was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance; the music video, which featured Morissette nude, generated mild controversy.^[38][43] Morissette herself directed the videos for "Unsent" and "So Pure", which won, respectively, the MuchMusic Video Award for Best Director and the Juno Award for Video of the Year.^[42][44] The "So Pure" video features actor Dash Mihok, with whom Morissette was in a relationship at the time.^[38]

Morissette contributed vocals to "Mercy", "Hope", "Innocence", and "Faith", four tracks on Jonathan Elias's project The Prayer Cycle, which was released in 1999. The same year, she released the live acoustic album Alanis Unplugged, which was recorded during her appearance on the television show MTV Unplugged. It featured tracks from her previous two albums alongside four new songs, including "King of Pain" (a cover of The Police song) and "No Pressure over Cappuccino", which Morissette wrote with her main guitar player, Nick Lashley. The recording of the Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie track "That I Would Be Good", released as a single, became a minor hit on hot adult contemporary radio in America. Also in 1999, Morissette released a live version of her song "Are You Still Mad" on the charity album Live in the X Lounge II. For her live rendition of "So Pure" at Woodstock '99, she was nominated for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 2001 Grammy Awards.^[45] During summer 1999, Alanis toured with singer/songwriter Tori Amos on the 5 And A Half Weeks Tour in support of Amos' album To Venus And Back.

[edit] 2001–03: Under Rug Swept and Feast on Scraps

In 2001, Morissette was featured with Stephanie McKay on the Tricky song "Excess", which is on his album Blowback. Morissette released her fifth studio album, Under Rug Swept, in February 2002. For the first time in her career, she took on the role of sole writer and producer of an album. Her band, comprising Joel Shearer, Nick Lashley, Chris Chaney, and Gary Novak, played the majority of the instruments; additional contributions came from Eric Avery, Dean DeLeo, Flea, and Meshell Ndegeocello.

Under Rug Swept debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, eventually going platinum in Canada and selling one million copies in the U.S.^[17][46] It produced the hit single "Hands Clean", which topped the Canadian Singles Chart and received substantial radio play; for her work on "Hands Clean" and "So Unsexy", Morissette won a Juno Award for Producer of the Year.^[47] A second single, "Precious Illusions", was released, but it did not garner significant success outside Canada or U.S. hot AC radio.

Later in 2002, Morissette released the combination package Feast on Scraps, which includes a DVD of live concert and backstage documentary footage directed by her and a CD containing eight previously unreleased songs from the Under Rug Swept recording sessions. Preceded by the single "Simple Together", it sold roughly 70,000 copies in the U.S. and was nominated for a Juno Award for Music DVD of the Year.^[46][48]

[edit] 2004–05: So-Called Chaos, Jagged Little Pill Acoustic and The Collection

Alanis Morissette, 2004

	"Everything" (2004) noicon The first single from So Called Chaos showcased a more relaxed and self-evaluating Morissette and was a moderate success.
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Morissette hosted the Juno Awards of 2004 dressed in a bathrobe, which she took off to reveal a flesh-colored bodysuit, a response to the era of censorship in the U.S. caused by Janet Jackson's breast-reveal incident during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show.^[49] Morissette released her sixth studio album, So-Called Chaos, in May 2004. She wrote the songs on her own again, and co-produced the album with Tim Thorney and pop music producer John Shanks. The album debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 chart to generally mixed critical reviews, and it became Morissette's lowest seller in the U.S.^[46] The lead single, "Everything", achieved major success on adult top 40 radio in America and was moderately popular elsewhere, particularly in Canada, although it failed to reach the top 40 on the U.S. Hot 100. Because the first line of the song includes the word asshole, American radio stations refused to play it, and the single version was changed to include the word nightmare instead.^[49] Two other singles, "Out Is Through" and "Eight Easy Steps", fared considerably worse commercially than "Everything", although a dance mix of "Eight Easy Steps" was a U.S. club hit.

Morissette embarked on a U.S. summer tour with long-time friends and fellow Canadians Barenaked Ladies, working with the non-profit environmental organization Reverb.^[50]

To commemorate the tenth anniversary of Jagged Little Pill, Morissette released a studio acoustic version, Jagged Little Pill Acoustic, in June 2005. The album was released exclusively through Starbucks' Hear Music retail concept through their coffee shops for a six-week run. The limited availability led to a dispute between Maverick Records and HMV North America, who retaliated by removing Morissette's other albums from sale for the duration of Starbucks's exclusive six-week sale.^[51][52] As of November 2010, Jagged Little Pill Acoustic had sold 372,000 copies in the U.S.,^[53] and a video for "Hand in My Pocket" received rotation on VH1 in America. The accompanying tour ran for two months in mid 2005, with Morissette playing small theatre venues. During the same period, Morissette was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.^[54]

Morissette opened for The Rolling Stones for a few dates of their A Bigger Bang Tour in the autumn of 2005.

Morissette released the greatest hits album Alanis Morissette: The Collection in late 2005. The lead single and only new track, a cover of Seal's "Crazy", was a U.S. adult top 40 and dance hit, but it achieved only minimal chart success elsewhere. A limited edition of The Collection features a DVD including a documentary with videos of two unreleased songs from Morissette's 1996 Can't Not Tour: "King of Intimidation" and "Can't Not". (A reworked version of "Can't Not" had also appeared on Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie.) The DVD also includes a ninety-second clip of the unreleased video for the single "Joining You". As of November 2010, The Collection had sold 373,000 copies in the U.S., according to Soundscan.^[53]

Morissette contributed the song "Wunderkind" to the soundtrack of the film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and it was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.^[55]

Alanis performed two songs with Avril Lavigne: Morissette's "Ironic" and Lavigne's "Losing Grip".

[edit] 2006–10: Flavors of Entanglement and leaving Maverick Records

Alanis during a live concert in Barcelona, June 2008

2006 marked the first year in Morissette's musical career without a single concert appearance showcasing her own songs, with the exception of an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in January when she performed "Wunderkind".

On April 1, 2007, Morissette released a tongue-in-cheek cover of The Black Eyed Peas's selection "My Humps", which she recorded in a slow, mournful voice, accompanied only by a piano. The accompanying YouTube-hosted video, in which she dances provocatively with a group of men and hits the ones who attempt to touch her "lady lumps", had received 16,465,653 views on February 15, 2009.^[56] Morissette did not take any interviews for a time to explain the song, and it was theorized that she did it as an April Fools' Day joke.^[57] Black Eyed Peas vocalist Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson responded by sending Morissette a buttocks-shaped cake with an approving note.^[58] On the verge of the release of her latest album, she finally elaborated on how the video came to be, citing that she became very much emotionally loaded while recording her new songs one after the other and one day she wished she could do a simple song like "My Humps" in a conversation with Guy Sigsworth and the joke just took a life of its own when they started working on it.^[56]

Morissette performed at a gig for The Nightwatchman, a.k.a. Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave fame, at the Hotel Café in Los Angeles in April 2007. The following June, she performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "O Canada", the American and Canadian national anthems, in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Ottawa Senators and the Anaheim Ducks in Ottawa, Ontario.^[59] (The NHL requires arenas to perform both the American and Canadian national anthems at games involving teams from both countries.) In early 2008, Morissette participated in a tour with Matchbox Twenty and Mutemath as a special guest.

Morissette's seventh studio album, Flavors of Entanglement, which was produced by Guy Sigsworth, was released in mid 2008. She has stated that in late 2008, she would embark on a North American headlining tour, but in the meantime she would be promoting the album internationally by performing at shows and festivals and making television and radio appearances. The album's first single was "Underneath", a video for which was submitted to the 2007 Elevate Film Festival, the purpose of which festival was to create documentaries, music videos, narratives and shorts regarding subjects to raise the level of human consciousness on the earth.^[60] On October 3, 2008, Morissette released the video for her latest single, "Not as We".^[61]

Recently, Morissette has contributed to 1 Giant Leap, performing "Arrival" with Zap Mama and she has released an acoustic version of her song "Still" as part of a compilation from Music for Relief in support of the 2010 Haiti earthquake crisis. Morissette has also recorded a cover of the 1984 Willie Nelson and Julio Iglesias hit, "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", re-written as "To All the Boys I've Loved Before".^[62] Nelson played rhythm guitar on the recording.^[62]

In April 2010, Morissette released the song "I Remain", which she wrote for the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time soundtrack.

On May 26, 2010, the season finale of American Idol, Morissette performed a duet of her song "You Oughta Know" with Runner Up Crystal Bowersox.^[63]

Morissette left Maverick Records after all promotion for Flavors was completed.

[edit] 2011–present: Havoc and Bright Lights and upcoming 2012 tour

On October 11, 2011, Morissette posted a picture of herself in a recording studio to her Facebook page. The picture included the message "back in the studio saddle....the songs have come in droves...!", indicating that Morissette had begun work on her next album. However, it was unknown if she would be still associated with Maverick Records, after the completion of her last album Flavors of Entanglement.^[64]

On November 20, 2011, Morissette appeared at the American Music Awards. When asked about the new album during a short interview, she said she had recorded thirty-one songs, and that the album would "likely be out next year, probably [in] summertime".^[65]

On December 21, 2011, Morissette performed a duet of "Uninvited" with finalist Josh Krajcik during the performance finale of the X-Factor.

Morissette is embarking on a European tour for the Summer of 2012, according to Alanis.com. In early May 2012, a new song called "Magical Child" appeared on a Starbucks compilation called Every Mother Counts.^[66]

Rolling Stone Magazine initially reported that Morissette's new album would be released in June 2012 and revealed the titles of four album tracks: "Spiral," "Guardian," "Celebrity," and "Havoc." "Spiral" and "Guardian" were performed at Guitar Center sessions.^[67] "Havoc" is a ballad, while "Celebrity" is described to be "a scathing takedown of America's obsession with fame."^[68]

On May 2, 2012, Morissette revealed through her Facebook account that her eighth studio album, entitled Havoc and Bright Lights, would be released in August 2012, on new label "Collective Sound", distributed by Sony's RED Distribution.^[69] On the same day, Billboard precised the date as August 28 and revealed the album would contain twelve tracks. The album's lead single, "Guardian", is due for release on iTunes on May 15, 2012, and will hit the radio airwaves four days prior to this.^[70]

Acting career[link]

In 1986, Morissette had her first stint as an actor: five episodes of the children's television show You Can't Do That on Television. She appeared on stage with the Orpheus Musical Theatre Society in 1985 and 1988.^[71]

In 1993, she appeared in the film Just One of the Girls starring Corey Haim, which she described as "horrible".^{[clarification needed][citation needed]}

In 1999, Morissette delved into acting again, for the first time since 1993, appearing as God in the Kevin Smith comedy Dogma and contributing the song "Still" to its soundtrack. Morissette reprised her role as God for a post-credits scene in Smith's next film, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, to literally close the book on the View Askewniverse. She also appeared in the hit HBO comedies Sex and the City and Curb Your Enthusiasm, appeared in the play The Vagina Monologues, and had a brief role in the Brazilian hit soap opera "Celebridade" (Celebrity).

In late 2003, Morissette appeared in the Off-Broadway play The Exonerated as Sunny Jacobs, a death row inmate freed after proof surfaced that she was innocent. In April 2006, MTV News reported that Morissette would reprise her role in The Exonerated in London from May 23 until May 28.^[72]

She expanded her acting credentials with the July 2004 release of the Cole Porter biographical film De-Lovely, in which she performed the song "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)" and had a brief role as an anonymous stage performer. In February 2005, she made a guest appearance on the Canadian television show Degrassi: The Next Generation with Dogma co-star Jason Mewes and director Kevin Smith.

In 2006, she guest starred in an episode of Lifetime's Lovespring International as a homeless woman named Lucinda, three episodes of FX's Nip/Tuck, playing a lesbian named Poppy, and the mockumentary/documentary Pittsburgh as herself.

Morissette has appeared in eight episodes of Weeds, playing Dr. Audra Kitson, a "no-nonsense obstetrician" who treats pregnant main character Nancy Botwin.^[73] Her first episode aired in July 2009.

In early 2010 Morissette returned to the stage, performing a one night engagement in An Oak Tree, an experimental play in Los Angeles. The performance was a sell out. In April 2010 Morissette was confirmed in the cast of Weeds season six, performing again her role as Dr. Audra Kitson.^[74]

Morissette also starred in a film adaptation of Philip K. Dick's novel Radio Free Albemuth. Morissette plays Sylvia, an ordinary woman in unexpected remission from lymphoma. Morissette stated that she is "...a big fan of Philip K. Dick's poetic and expansively imaginative books" and that she "feel[s] blessed to portray Sylvia, and to be part of this story being told in film".^[75]

She appeared as Ava Alexander's Maya Rudolph former Sound LLC bandmate, Amanda in one episode of NBC's "Up All Night" ^[76] on February 16, 2012. Rudolph officiated as minister for Morissette's wedding with both performing the explicit version of their hit hip-hop song, "Back It Up (Beep Beep)".

Personal life[link]

Morissette dated actor and comedian Dave Coulier for a short time in the early 1990s.^[77] In a 2008 interview with the Calgary Herald, Coulier claimed to be the ex-boyfriend who inspired Morissette's song "You Oughta Know".^[78] Morissette, however, has maintained her silence on the subject of the song.^[79]

Morissette met Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds at Drew Barrymore's birthday party in 2002, and the couple began dating soon after.^[80] They announced their engagement in June 2004.^[78] In February 2007, representatives for Morissette and Reynolds announced they had mutually decided to end their engagement.^[81] Morissette has stated that her album Flavors of Entanglement was created out of her grief after the break-up, saying that "it was cathartic".^[82]

Morissette became an American citizen in 2005, while maintaining her Canadian citizenship.^[9]

On May 22, 2010, Morissette married rapper Mario “MC Souleye” Treadway (born May 3, 1980 in Boston, Massachusetts) in a private ceremony at their Los Angeles home.^[83] Their first child, Ever Imre Morissette-Treadway, was born on December 25, 2010.^[84]

Morissette is also a vegan, and an active environmentalist.^[85]

Discography[link]

• Alanis (1991)
• Now Is the Time (1992)
• Jagged Little Pill (1995)
• Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998)
• Under Rug Swept (2002)
• So-Called Chaos (2004)
• Flavors of Entanglement (2008)
• Havoc and Bright Lights (2012)

Filmography[link]

Tours[link]

• 1991: Vanilla Ice tour (opening act)
• 1995: Jagged Little Pill/Intellectual Intercourse Tour
• 1996: Can't Not Tour
• 1998: Club Tour (Alanis Morissette tour)
• 1999: Junkie Tour
• 1999: Junkie Tour Australian Leg (with Garbage)
• 1999: 5 ½ Weeks Tour (with Tori Amos)
• 2000: One Tour
• 2001: Under Rug Swept Tour
• 2002: Toward Our Union Mended Tour
• 2003: All I Really Want/Feast on Scraps Tour
• 2004: So-Called Chaos/Au Naturale Tour (with Barenaked Ladies)
• 2005: Diamond Wink Tour
• 2008: Exile in America (with Matchbox Twenty and Mutemath)
• 2008: Flavors of Entanglement Tour
• 2009: Flavors of Entanglement South American Tour

Awards and nominations[link]

See also[link]

	Book: Alanis Morissette
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

• Canadian rock
• Music of Canada
• Best selling music artists
• List of diamond-certified albums in Canada
• List of best-selling albums worldwide
• List of best-selling music artists

References[link]

Further reading[link]

External links[link]

Find more about Alanis Morissette on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Images and media from Commons
	Quotations from Wikiquote

• Official website
• Alanis Morissette discography at Discogs
• Alanis Morissette at the Internet Movie Database
• Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill Review at Spectrum FM

v t e Alanis Morissette Discography Awards and nominations Studio albums Alanis Now Is the Time Jagged Little Pill Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie Under Rug Swept So-Called Chaos Flavors of Entanglement Havoc and Bright Lights Live albums MTV Unplugged Compilation albums Feast on Scraps iTunes Originals Jagged Little Pill Acoustic The Collection Other releases Space Cakes The Singles Box Alanis Morissette: Original Album Series The Prayer Cycle Video albums Jagged Little Pill, Live Live in the Navajo Nation Feast on Scraps Concert tours Jagged Little Pill Tour Club Tour Junkie/Junkie Australian Tour Under Rug Swept Tour Feast on Scraps Tour So-Called Chaos Tour Flavors of Entanglement Tour Flavors of Entanglement South American Tour Films Fuck Dogma Radio Free Albemuth As Cool As I Am Related articles Wade Morissette Maverick Records Ryan Reynolds Glen Ballard Book:Alanis Morissette