NASHVILLE |FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/MARCEE RONDAN/LATHUM NELSON
ALANIS MORISSETTE
TO RECEIVE GLOBAL TOLERANCE AWARD
DECEMBER 11 IN NEW YORK CITY
FROM THE FRIENDS OF THE UNITED NATIONS
ALANIS MORISSETTE will be honored by the Friends of The United Nations with a Global Tolerance Award Tuesday, December 11 in New York City. According to the organization, the critically acclaimed singer, songwriter and musician is being recognized for making outstanding contributions to promote tolerance through the arts in addition to her work on behalf of tolerance in her personal life and activities. The presentation, which coincides with the U.N.’s Human Rights Day, will take place at the United Nations Delegates Dining Room with expected attendance by senior U.N. personnel, members of the diplomatic community and key representatives of the private and civil society sectors.
In addition to working on her new album UNDER RUG SWEPT (planned for an early 2002 release), ALANIS has kept busy playing various benefits, including the televised John Lennon tribute from New York City (raising funds to support gun control and assist victims of the September 11 attacks); Toronto’s Music Without Borders event (generating money for the United Nations Donor Alert Appeal, aiding refugees of the conflict in Afghanistan); and Seattle’s Groundworks (benefiting the organization Act To Reduce Hunger).
With over 40 million albums sold worldwide, the seven-time Grammy Award winner’s universal appeal has led to a unique connection with fans and extensive overseas touring. During her precedent-setting summer 2000 trek through the Middle East and Eastern Europe, ALANIS documented visits and performances in 15 countries (including Lebanon, Croatia and Turkey) over the Internet. In most regions, a young ambassador escorted ALANIS beyond the usual tourist attractions to see historical, cultural and political sites while sharing native customs and beliefs. ALANIS wrapped up the tour with a special acoustic performance and question-and-answer session at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, which is dedicated to teaching youth the importance of accepting diversity and sharing cultures. Earlier that same year, ALANIS performed in Rome for Pope John Paul II and 300,000 youth at The Great Jubilee Concert For A Debt-Free World (to bring attention to the world’s poorest nations and the need for social justice). ALANIS‘ worldwide travels also brought her to Cuba in 1998 on a cultural exchange journey whereby North American artists had the chance to meet the people, including students, of that country.
ALANIS recently expressed her hope for a better world when she shared her song “Utopia”-from the forthcoming Under Rug Swept-on her website in the wake of the September 11 attacks. In her own words, ALANIS “just wanted to share as much comfort as I possibly could through the context of music.” Entertainment Weekly’s Beth Johnson described “Utopia,” noting: “Atop a gentle mandolin, calming strings, and angelic harmonies, she softly croons her wish list for a perfect world, a place ‘without guilt, without fear…with room for every emotion.'”
Since the release of her breakthrough Jagged Little Pill album in 1995, ALANIS has been known for creating music that has unflinchingly examined her own life and the world around her. Writing about her last studio album, 1998’s Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, Robert Hilburn in the Los Angeles Times described it as “a brave, purposeful work. The album’s highlights look at life’s challenges and rewards with the primal-scream intensity and honesty of John Lennon’s classic ‘Plastic Ono Band’.”
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