Alanis Morissette has opened up about the challenges she faced when she skyrocketed to fame at the age of 21. In a recent interview with The Guardian, the iconic singer-songwriter discussed the intense scrutiny and objectification she experienced during the early years of her career. “There was no one to hide behind,” Morissette recounted.
“What I found in terms of the lovely patriarchy, was that at that time if men couldn’t f— me, they didn’t know what to do with me.”
Despite having already released two albums before Jagged Little Pill, it was her third album that catapulted her to international fame and earned her four Grammy Awards. However, this massive success came with significant personal challenges. Morissette identifies as “highly-sensitive” and an empath, traits which made the harsh realities of the music industry even more difficult to endure.
“I have an anxious, depressive tendency. Those who are sensitive are much more susceptible to their environmental information,” she explained. Reflecting on her peers, Morissette noted that confidence, often displayed by louder personalities, was highly regarded during the 90s.
Alanis Morissette’s addiction struggle
“Others seemed secure in their loudness, à la Courtney Love. That seemed to be valued.
I was like, ‘Okay, I’m going to pretend to be an extrovert for the next 25 years.’ So, tequila — anything that allowed me to be the life of the party — or if I was doing a talk, Xanax. Anything that would help me pretend I’m not me.”
The “You Oughta Know” singer has previously spoken about her experiences with predatory men. She revealed in a documentary that she was a victim of multiple statutory rapes as a teenager during the early stages of her career.
“I just thought it was my fault because almost every single person that I would work with, there’d be some turning point where the camera would go Dutch angle,” she shared. “I’d just wait for it, like, okay, this won’t happen in the first week for this one, but it’ll happen. Sure enough, it would, and it would either end the relationship or then there’d be some big secret that we’d keep forever.”
Despite the challenges, Morissette’s impact on the music industry remains indelible.
Her raw and honest lyrics continue to resonate with fans worldwide, and her experiences highlight the ongoing need for supportive environments in the industry.
