Our favorite '90s singer, Alanis Morissette, is doing it all these days. She's a mom to three adorable kids, and she's incredibly invested in her life as a mother. But she also just came out with a brand-new, highly anticipated album, Such Pretty Forks in the Road. The album, which is her first studio album in eight years, will be officially released Friday.
This week, Alanis debuted her new song "Ablaze" virtually on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Her band joined from their own locations, as well. But there was another addition to the band, too, and a super-adorable one, at that. Alanis' 4-year-old toddler, Onyx.
It was a super-cute performance, and Alanis handled having her daughter in her lap while singing like an absolute pro. I mean, what else can ya really do? The struggle for working moms with kids in the house is all too real, as most of us have learned by now.
Alanis appeared on Jimmy Fallon this week. Alanis came on screen in what looks like a really cool library in her home, which likely has the best acoustics. She started singing with that familiar intensity in her voice, all while holding her daughter on her lap.
Onyx is pretty well-behaved during the song. She giggles adorably and fiddles with her headphones. Alanis smiles adoringly at her daughter and asks her if the volume is too loud. Witnessing the dynamic between thte two is super sweet. But it's totally impressive how Alanis doesn't seem terribly distracted. She just carries on, doing her job, like mamas do.
The sweetest part, however, is perhaps the words that Alanis is singing. The song, "Ablaze," is a tribute to her three kids. As Onyx chats to her mother, she sings, "My mission is to keep the light in your eyes ablaze." The little girl giggles and says, "Hi, mom."
"Hi, baby," Alanis responds, smiling.
Seeing the evolution of Alanis Morissette is so beautiful. I mean, we all loved her as '90s kids, but now she's this full-grown mother and she's still producing incredible music. Watching her sit there performing with her child on her lap, though, feels like a statement about not only where she is in her life but where we all are as a society at this point in time.
So many mothers are dealing with the battle of working from home and raising kids at the same time. Watching Alanis do the same exact thing just shows how we're all really in the same boat right now. It felt like a powerful performance for so many reasons, and it's definitely resonating with moms everywhere.
Alanis is a lot of things to a lot of people. Not only is she a very famous musician and a mom, she's the incredible artist behind one of our all-time favorite albums, Jagged Little Pill. Watching Alanis grow up and come into her own as a mother has been a very cool and enlightening experience for other moms who grew up along with her.
It's been especially poignant because she's been so open about all of the very real struggles that come along with parenthood, too. She told Rolling Stone recently about her battle with postpartum depression, which she's been open about on many occasions. "The first two times I had it, it was more sort of depressive symptoms," she said. "This time around, maybe one percent is depression."
She continued, "The rest is just anxiety and all the pictures and all the horrifying parts of PPD [postpartum depression]. But yeah, sleep is scarce. And I sleep whenever I can, which is not a large amount of time, but enough to keep going." So many moms can deeply relate to Alanis' struggles.
That relatability is what makes Alanis Morissette the incredible artist that she is, though. She's never afraid to draw on the most vulnerable parts of her soul. It's why we related to her back in the '90s and why we're still relating to her now, decades later.
Seeing Alanis singing her heart out with her daughter on her lap is just one more reminder that she's one of the most real artists of our generation. She has a real life, real struggles, and a real job (even if it is a dreamy one).
It's always amazing to see our favorite celebrities in their home environments along with their family. But this cute performance was really something else because it definitely put a spotlight on the struggle of working moms.
As for Alanis, toddler in her lap and all, she's still slaying it.
