Discover Alanis -- Morissette's Already On Top Of The Pop Music World - And She's Only 21

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Alanis Morissette and Imperial Drag, 7 p.m. Saturday, Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Grant County; sold out; Gorge Information Line: 285-1970. -----------------------------------------------------------------

Alanis Morissette has good reason to celebrate.

The lanky, auburn-haired rock singer-songwriter is the hottest new artist in pop music. Her startingly frank and dramatic debut album, "Jagged Little Pill," released a year ago, stands at No. 2 on the Billboard chart, with certified sales surpassing 9 million in this country alone. She's just returned from triumphant debut tours of Europe, Great Britain and Australia.

And she marks her 22nd birthday Saturday with one of the biggest concerts of her career - a sold-out date (18,000-plus) at the Gorge Amphitheatre.

Morissette has struck a chord in young, mostly female fans with her stark, uncompromising songs of shattered relationships, unfulfilled expectations and hard-won emotional wisdom. Of all the strong female voices in pop these days - including Melissa Etheridge, Courtney Love, PJ Harvey, Joan Osborne, even Shania Twain - Morissette has made the strongest connection to the mass, mainstream audience. In other words, she's huge.

Angry breakthrough song

Although well known in her native Canada, where she had released a couple of well-received dance albums, she emerged here last year with unprecedented ferocity, via the angry, explicit "You Oughta Know," a furious song of vengeance in which she confronts a former lover over his duplicity. The song grabbed listeners not only because of its forcefulness but because of its explicit language. The radio version bleeps out a crude reference to intercourse, but leaves in a reference to oral sex.

Predictably, the song stirred protest, and generated a lot of publicity. But despite the interest it raised, it was never released as a single. That was wise, because it forced fans to buy the album and discover that Morissette is much more than a dirty-mouthed complainer.

She is a brilliant, fearless artist who has something to say, and doesn't hold anything back when saying it. With her background as an actor, she delivers her songs with a great deal of drama - her voice soaring, swooping, yelping and caressing the words. In concert, she makes use of the whole stage, her body in constant motion as she wrings drama from every note.

An early start in show biz

The daughter of Hungarian refugees who migrated to Canada after the 1965 anti-communist uprising, she grew up (with an older brother, Chad, and a twin brother, Wade) in an intellectual environment - both her parents are public-school teachers - where her individuality was encouraged. At the age of 10, she became a cast member of "You Can't Do That On Television," a Canadian-produced kids show on Nickelodeon.

A few years later, she used the money she made on the TV show to finance her first single. And in the early 1990s, she recorded two dance-oriented albums that did well in Canada.

She moved to Hollywood several years ago to pursue her music career. One of the first things that happened to her there was being robbed at gunpoint, and being forced to lie on the ground face-down while the gunman threatened to kill her. Instead of discouraging her, the incident strengthened her resolve, because she survived unscathed (but poorer).

Touring, writing new songs

After unsuccessful partnerships with several co-writers, her music publisher teamed her with Glen Ballard, an experienced professional who had worked with Michael Jackson and Paula Abdul, among others. They immediately clicked and quickly composed the songs that went into "Jagged Little Pill."

Signed to the Madonna-owned Maverick label (after all the big labels turned her down), Morissette worked hard promoting the album, touring constantly (including shows here last year at the Weathered Wall and the Paramount) and doing press.

Now a star, Morissette is still restless. She and her four-piece band are introducing new songs on the tour, some only days after being written. Because "Jagged Little Pill" is still doing spectacularly, she probably won't release a new album until next year.

Imperial Drag, a California band, released its debut album last month on Columbia and already has a hit with "Boy Or A Girl," a guess-the-sex tune in the "Lola" vein.