Alanis Morissette Discusses Motherhood, Ever Imre Inspired ‘Guardian’
Alanis Morissette brought her new album ‘havoc and bright lights’ to Walmart Soundcheck for a special live performance and exclusive sit-down interview. The set list included ‘Woman Down’, ‘You Learn’, ‘Havoc’ and ‘Guardian’.
During the interview, the Grammy-award winning singer discussed how now being a mom influenced the recording of the new album, how her song ‘Guardian’ was about her son Ever Imre, learning to reach out for help as a mother, trying to manage her time to avoid being a workaholic, the message behind the female empowering track ‘Woman Down’, her love of decorating and how this record “nails every sonic soundscape that I live for.”
Talking about the album’s recording process, Alanis said, “I wrote the record when my son turned 5 1/2 months. We build a make shift studio in our house so that I could breastfeed and be available for my son and write at the same time. I definitely reached that critical juncture, where I was at that Y in the road where one side was career and the other side was choosing momhood full time, and I decided that I didn’t want to have to pick.”
Discussing the maternal influences on the song ‘Guardian’, she said, “The chorus is about my son, and this protectorship, this momma bear that emerged. I was always channeling my material energy, often times in very inappropriate ways with certain ex-boyfriends, and so now that I have this son it’s really appropriate for me to love him in this kind of way. Then I saw the difference in how I was loving him and how I wasn’t taking care of myself, so the verses are about me growing this inner mom and inner parent frankly to take care of myself better.”
On what she’s learned about motherhood, Alanis said, “The greatest lesson I’ve gleened from being a new mom is to reach out for help. The women’s movement was such that for a long time we were property, so we were owned, and we were very dependent. Then it segued into this independence, burn the bra movement, so we were really independent and it was all about autonomy. Now in 2012 it really feels like this interdependence, new paradigm. It feels like it’s approrpiate to need each other, to be empowered and to actually say I need your help, so I’ve learned how to reach out for help and seek support.”
Check out the performances and interview at soundcheck.walmart.com/alanis-morissette, while additional pictures from Alanis appearance can be viewed below the cut.
