Wendy Lands | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
Genres | Jazz, pop, rock |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
Years active | 1992–present |
Labels | Rebelette, EMI |
Website | wendylands |
Wendy Lands is a Canadian singer and songwriter, most noted for receiving a Juno Award nomination for Best New Solo Artist in 1997. [1]
Born in Montreal, Quebec, [2] she moved to Toronto, Ontario to attend York University. [3] While living in Toronto, she was a member of the pop band Double Dare and an understudy for the role of Eponine in a production of Les Misérables . [4] She also began doing commercial voiceover work and recorded her debut album, Angels and Ordinary Men, between 1992 and 1994. [3] One song from the recording sessions, a duet with Wayne St. John titled "All That I Know", was released to Canadian radio in 1992. [3]
The album was released independently in 1995. [5] Lands then signed a deal with EMI Records, which rereleased the album nationally in 1996. [5] By the time of the album's wider release, however, Alanis Morissette had risen to international fame with Jagged Little Pill , and Lands was unfairly labeled by some critics as an imitation of Morissette; [6] other critics, however, acknowledged superficial similarities in a couple of Lands' songs, but noted that the album as a whole was dominated by pop ballads rather than Morissette-style rock songs. [7] Most notably, Billboard called it "one of the most impressive Canadian recordings in years". [8]
The album produced two Top 40 hits in RPM , with lead single "Little Sins" peaking at No. 27 the week of 23 September 1996 [9] and the title track peaking at #35 the week of 2 June 1997. [10] The title track also peaked at No. 34 in the magazine's adult contemporary charts the week of 16 June 1997. [11]
She supported the album with a Canadian tour, both on her own and as an opening act for Jann Arden [12] and Kim Stockwood. [13] Angels and Ordinary Men was released internationally in 1997. In 1998, Lands also received two Canadian Radio Music Award nominations for Best New Artist in the contemporary hit radio and adult contemporary categories. [14] During this time, she also recorded a number of commercial voiceovers for companies including Bell Canada. [15]
She then moved to Los Angeles for a number of years, writing songs with Paul Williams, Melissa Manchester, [16] and Larry John McNally and continuing to do voiceover work in commercials. She did not record or release another album until 2002, when producer John Leftwich selected her to sing a number of vocal compositions by Władysław Szpilman for an album released as a promotional tie-in to the biographical film The Pianist . [17]
Lands moved back to Toronto in 2006, and has since released two further albums; Mumble and Altitude.[ citation needed ]
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter and musician. She is known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting. Morissette began her music career in Canada in the early 1990s with two dance-pop albums. In 1995, she released Jagged Little Pill, an alternative rock-oriented album with elements of post-grunge. This album sold more than 33 million copies globally, propelling her to become a cultural phenomenon. It earned her the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1996 and was adapted into a rock musical of the same name in 2017. The musical earned fifteen Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical. Additionally, the album was listed in Rolling Stone's 2003 and 2020 editions of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" guide. The lead single, "You Oughta Know", was also included at #103 in their "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
Jagged Little Pill is the third studio album by Canadian-American singer Alanis Morissette, released on June 13, 1995, through Maverick and her first album to be released worldwide. It marked a stylistic departure from the dance-pop sound of her first two albums, Alanis (1991) and Now Is the Time (1992). Morissette began work on the album after moving from her hometown Ottawa to Los Angeles, where she met producer Glen Ballard. Morissette and Ballard had an instant connection and began co-writing and experimenting with sounds. The experimentation resulted in an alternative rock album that takes influence from post-grunge and pop rock, and features guitars, keyboards, drum machines, and harmonica. The lyrics touch upon themes of aggression and unsuccessful relationships, while Ballard introduced a pop sensibility to Morissette's angst. The title of the album is taken from a line in the first verse of the song "You Learn".
"Ironic" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, released in February 1996 by Maverick and Warner Bros. as the third single from her third studio album, Jagged Little Pill (1995). It was written by Morissette and Glen Ballard, and was produced by him. The lyrics present several situations that are described as "ironic"; this has led to debate as to whether any of these match the accepted meaning of irony.
Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie is the fourth studio album and second internationally released album by singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, released by Maverick Records in the United States on November 3, 1998. The album was positively received by critics and performed well commercially, breaking the record for album sales in its first week by a female artist. The first single from the album, "Thank U", reached the top 20 of the US Billboard Hot 100. Morissette promoted the album with worldwide touring. The album gets its name from a lyric in the track "So Pure".
"You Oughta Know" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, released as the lead single from her third studio album, Jagged Little Pill (1995), on July 6, 1995. After releasing two studio albums, Morissette left MCA Records Canada and was introduced to manager Scott Welch. Morissette began working on new music after moving from her hometown of Ottawa to Toronto, but made little progress. In Los Angeles, she met producer Glen Ballard, with whom she wrote songs including "You Oughta Know".
MTV Unplugged is the first live album by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, released by Maverick Records in the United States on November 9, 1999. It comprises songs performed by Morissette on the television program MTV Unplugged. Twelve tracks were included on the album, but Morissette also performed "Baba", "Thank U" and "Your House" during the live taping. These were later released as B-sides on the "King of Pain" single release. The first single, "That I Would Be Good", was moderately successful, and two other tracks, "King of Pain" and "You Learn" were released as singles outside North America. As of March 2012, the album has sold 673,000 copies in the U.S.
"Head over Feet" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, taken from her third studio album Jagged Little Pill (1995). Written by Alanis and Glen Ballard, and produced by Ballard, it was released as the album's fifth single in July 1996 and presented a softer sound than the previous singles from the album. "Head over Feet" talks about being best friends and lovers with someone at the same time, with Alanis thanking them for their manners, love and devotion.
One to One was a Canadian pop music group formed in 1984 in Ottawa, Ontario. They later changed their name to One 2 One. The duo released three albums and produced ten hits on Canadian charts between 1985 and 1992.
Leslie Howe is a Canadian musician and record producer based in Ottawa, Ontario. He has been a member of the bands One to One, Sal's Birdland and Artificial Joy Club, and produced Alanis Morissette's early pop music albums.
"You Learn" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette from her third studio album, Jagged Little Pill (1995). It was written by Morissette and Glen Ballard, the album's producer. Maverick and Warner Bros. Records released the song as the album's fourth single. The lyrics state that valuable lessons are learned from poor decisions. The album title is taken from this song's line "Swallow it down ".
"Thank U" is a song by Canadian-American recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette from her fourth studio album, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998). The song was written by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard, who produced her previous album, Jagged Little Pill (1995). Morissette wrote the song after she came back from a trip to India. Maverick and Reprise Records released the song as a single on October 12, 1998.
The Dini Petty Show is a Canadian daytime television talk show, which aired on stations affiliated with the Baton Broadcasting System from 1989 to 1999. It originated from the BBS flagship station, Toronto's CFTO-TV.
"Joining You" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette from her fourth studio album, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998). It was released as the album's second single on January 3, 1999. The song distinctly is composed of a verse and chorus in two distantly related keys: C minor and E minor, respectively. "Joining You" peaked at number 16 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
"Hand in My Pocket" is a song by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette from her third studio album, Jagged Little Pill (1995). The song was written by Morissette and Glen Ballard and was released as the second single from the album on October 16, 1995 by Maverick and Reprise, five months after the album release. The song received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who applauded Morissette's songwriting.
"Unsent" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette from her fourth studio album, Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998). The lyrics were written by Morissette, who also composed the music with Glen Ballard. It was released as the album's third single on March 18, 1999. It was one of the few Junkie tracks on which she played her harmonica. Morissette directed the music video for the song. Without a chorus or hook, "Unsent" has an unconventional song structure. The lyrics consist of letters addressed to Morissette's former boyfriends and friends. The single became a moderate hit, reaching number nine in Canada, number 28 in New Zealand, and number 58 in the United States.
The discography of Canadian-American singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette comprises 10 studio albums, three live albums, six compilation albums, two extended plays, 46 singles, 12 promotional singles, six video albums, and 41 music videos. She has sold more than 85 million albums worldwide.
Serial Joe was a Canadian rock band from Newmarket, Ontario which consisted of high school students Ryan Dennis, Ryan Stever (guitar), John Davidson, Dan Stadnicki (drums) and Jamie Fulcher. The group released four studio albums.
Flavors of Entanglement is the seventh studio album, fifth international release and last Maverick Records release by Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette. The album, which was originally set for an April release, came out on May 30, 2008, in Germany, Benelux, and Ireland, internationally on June 2, and in the United States on June 10. It was produced by Guy Sigsworth. Flavors won Pop Album of the Year prize at the 2009 Juno Awards. The album gets its name from a lyric in the track "Moratorium".
"Guardian" is a song by Canadian-American recording artist Alanis Morissette, released as the lead single from her eighth studio album, Havoc and Bright Lights (2012). The song was written by Morissette and Guy Sigsworth, and produced by Sigsworth and Joe Chiccarelli. It is a rock song, in which Morissette promises to look after a special someone.