The debut album that redefined the limits of female stardom
In short: While many fans consider Jagged Little Pill her beginning, Alanis Morissette actually started her career with two dance-pop albums in the early 1990s. However, it was her 1995 release that shattered records, becoming a global phenomenon and establishing her as a dominant force in the music industry.
Before the global recognition of the mid-1990s, Morissette signed with MCA Records as a teenager. She released two albums exclusively in Canada: her self-titled debut in 1991, which earned a platinum certification from Music Canada, and Now Is the Time in 1992. Because these records were not released internationally, they are frequently omitted from her mainstream biography, which typically begins with her move to Maverick Records.
In 1995, Morissette released Jagged Little Pill, an album that fundamentally altered her career trajectory. Still ranking among music's greatest achievements, this record-breaking debut remains the highest-selling first release globally. With over 33 million copies sold, it ranked as the second best-selling album by a female artist at the time, trailing only Shania Twain's Come On Over. Anthems including "Ironic" and "You Oughta Know" propelled her to the Billboard 200 peak as the initial Canadian female to do so, remaining there for 12 weeks.
Her momentum continued into the late 1990s. Ranking first upon release, her 1998 follow-up, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, set a then-record for the quickest-selling female album in the United States. By 2002, she achieved a third consecutive number-one album with Under Rug Swept, which topped the charts in 12 countries. This era of high output included various formats, such as the Feast on Scraps CD/DVD package and her first greatest hits compilation, The Collection, in 2005.
In recent years, Morissette has diversified her output beyond traditional rock and pop. In 2020, she released Such Pretty Forks in the Road, following a 2012 release titled Havoc and Bright Lights. Most recently, she expanded into the wellness space in 2022 with The Storm Before the Calm, her first meditation album produced in partnership with the Calm app.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Alanis Morissette discography
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