Alanis Morissette is returning to the road today with a powerful message as the newest Soundboard member of the nonprofit group We Are Moving the Needle, an organization that aims to close the vast gender gap in the technical fields of the recording industry.
Just before taking the stage, Morissette will feature the organization in a in a pre-show video, and will have representatives at most stops on the tour to provide information about how to get involved.
Morissette joins a growing list of artists supporting the organization — founded by Grammy Award-winning mastering engineer Emily Lazar (Beck, Coldplay, Foo Fighters) — including Brandi Carlile, Maggie Rogers, Brittany Howard, Haim, Vanessa Carlton, Christina Perri, Imogen Heap and Linda Perry, along with other prominent leaders in the music industry, who have signed on to bolster the number of women producers and recording engineers.
“Alanis opened the door for women to express themselves in both an assertive and beautiful way at a time when women were not welcome or encouraged to have a voice. Celebrating the accomplishments of Jagged Little Pill by accompanying Alanis, Garbage, and Cat Power on tour could not be a better fit for We Are Moving The Needle and its mission”saidLazar, president and chief mastering engineer of the Lodge and founder of We Are Moving The Needle, in a statement.
Lazar, who has worked with Morissette on her past few albums and was nominated for three album of the year Grammys this year for her work on albums by Coldplay, Haim, and Jacob Collier, is hoping to increase the statistics of women in engineering, which is now low. According to the fourth annual iteration of USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative study “Inclusion in the Recording Studio,” released earlier this year, only 2% of producers and engineers across popular music were women in 2020.
Added Lazar: “I was immediately impressed by Alanis’ artistry and my admiration and respect for her grew exponentially after learning of her commitment to equity and inclusion by collaborating with women producers and engineers.”
Morissette is celebrating 25 years of her 17-times platinum album, “Jagged Little Pill.” The tour — which features Garbage and Cat Power — kicks off today in Austin, Texas at the Germania Insurance Amphitheatre. She will also appear as a judge on Fox’s upcoming competition show, “Alter Ego.”
