John Alexander, head of
A&R for MCA Records Canada, first heard a
demo tape from Morissette in 1983, when she was nine years old. He called it "very promising. Her voice was very strong, and it was remarkable that the tape included some original songs written by her at that age." However, he decided not to sign her to a record deal because "from an A&R standpoint, I said, 'What am I going to do with a nine-year-old? In 1987, Morissette met entertainment manager Stephan Klovan, and at the 1988 World Cup of Figure Skating, she recorded a well-received version of "
O Canada" with two musicians, one of whom was
Leslie Howe of the new wave/synthpop duo
One to One. Klovan intended for Howe to work with Morissette so that she could audition on the television show
Star Search, but eventually both he and Howe decided to try to secure a record contract for her. She did appear on
Star Search in 1990, having auditioned more than once. One of the
demo recordings Howe and Morissette created with keyboardist Serge Côté in the studio was "
Walk Away", for which Howe and Klovan funded an expensive promotional video that was filmed in
Paris, France. In 1988 Howe sent the video to Alexander, who later arranged a dinner meeting with Morissette. "I could tell that she was a very focused and passionate 14-year-old girl, who was also very talented", Alexander said. "I felt strongly that we could work together to build her music career." According to Morissette, people from MCA placed "hardcore" pressure on her to lose weight in time for the album's release, leading her to develop
anorexia nervosa and
bulimia. She subsequently began therapy, which she called "a long process to un-program [my brain]. I try to remember, whatever my body is, it's perfect the way it is." She also revealed she would often go straight from school to the studios where she would stay until 3 or 4 am and write/record music, drink alcohol, smoke
marijuana, and hang out with what she called "the older crowd". == Release and legacy ==