Alanis Morissette: ‘I'd like to say sorry to my ex-boyfriends’

Born in Ontario, Canada, Alanis Morissette, 44, released her debut album when she was 16. Her third, the Grammy award-winning Jagged Little Pill, came out in 1995; it included the hits You Oughta Know and Ironic, and has sold 33m copies. She lives in Los Angeles with the rapper Mario “Souleye” Treadway and their children. Next month she headlines the Cornbury festival in Oxfordshire.

What is your earliest memory?

Going to kindergarten in Germany. My twin brother and I were the only non-Germans in the room and it was terrifying.

Which living person do you most admire, and why?

Adyashanti, a spiritual teacher, for living what he teaches.

What was your most embarrassing moment?

The entire planet shaming me for my use of Ironic.

What is your phone wallpaper?

My kids, Ever and Onyx.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?

My fingernails are really tiny.

What is your most treasured possession?

A crucifix my grandmother carried escaping the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. She gave it to me when she died.

Who would play you in the film of your life?

I think James Corden would have to.

Which book changed your life?

The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine Aron. It helped me see there were a lot of other people that were freakish like me.

To whom would you most like to say sorry, and why?

A handful of my ex-boyfriends, who have to answer questions about my songs being about them.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

PJ Harvey, Thom Yorke and the Dalai Lama.

What was the best kiss of your life?

My first with my husband. We went on a hike together in Los Angeles and ran to the top of a mountain. We were sweaty and exhausted and we smooched.

What is the worst job you’ve done?

For a show I did when I was 16, I styled myself in an awful tight red outfit. It was the most unflattering thing I could have chosen, but I had no one to talk me out of it.

What has been your biggest disappointment?

Postpartum depression: it’s like being covered in tar. The first time, I waited ages to address it because, typically, I warrior through things. I asked a doctor, “Does it get better if I just stick it out?” and she said, “No, it gets worse.” I did it all: therapy, medication and exercise. I wanted to live.

When did you last cry, and why?

In a therapy session, with the stress of home-schooling, going on tour, writing a book, managing money and a whole team.

Q&A: James Corden Read more

What is the closest you’ve come to death?

Aged six, showing off in front of a bunch of boys, I jumped off a football post, my shoelace got caught and I broke my arm. My heart rate slowed so much, they thought they’d lose me.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

A home birth with both my kids.

What has been your closest brush with the law?

I am irretrievably Canadian and I have no answer.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?

That resilience can be built.

Tell us a secret

I am geeky and academic, and love being in nature, reading.