Morissette

Web posted on: Wednesday, January 20, 1999 4:00:30 PM EST

From Correspondent Mark Scheerer

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Alanis Morissette burst onto the scene in late 1995 with the album "Jagged Little Pill" and the raucous single "You Oughta Know." But the shock of becoming rich and famous almost overnight nearly drove her out of business.

"I didn't laugh for about two years. I was just very overwhelmed by a lot of it," she said.

But the good news for fans is that she has found new peace with herself, and she's back with a new CD. "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie" topped Billboard charts and currently rests at No. 29. Also, a new tour is on the horizon this year.

Public eye

Morissette made an entrance few performers are privileged to get. "Jagged Little Pill" spun out a series of hit songs and became the highest-selling debut album in U.S. history. Worldwide, it sold nearly 28 million copies.

Morissette feels comfortable expressing her true self -- so much so that she appears nude on the cover of her new CD and in the video for "Thank U"

That success -- and the non-stop touring that went along with it -- nearly drove her out of the business.

Listen to a clip of "Thank U" Audio clip: 260k MPEG-3 Audio clip: 355k WAV Video clip: 830k QuickTime

"I took a year and a half off after the tour from the last record, and there was a point where I didn't really want to do it again," Morissette said. "I didn't want to be in the public eye in general and I didn't want to write another record and have everything that had come along with the one before to happen again."

Showing her true self

But she has returned, after a sabbatical in which she took time to travel, spending a month in India, visiting Cuba, competing in triathlons and regaining an inner peace. The result is a mellower Morissette, and one who is not afraid to show her true self -- literally. Morissette appears nude in the artwork accompanying "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie," and in the video for its leadoff single, "Thank U."

She says the nudity expresses her belief that she's now comfortable being herself -- comfortable enough to return to touring at the end of January.

"For a long time I didn't see the beauty in being in the public eye," she said."I saw a lot of illusion and a lot of grasping and a lot of fear, and I didn't feel the beauty. But now I do."