This was Alanis’ follow up to her incredibly popular album, Jagged Little Pill. Expectations for the new record were enormous. We met at her recording studio. It felt very comfortable, right from the start. I remember her being extremely smart, well-spoken, and funny. We got in her jeep and rode up and down Ventura Boulevard listening to her record. It was fun. The new music sounded amazing. I was excited to get to work. I presented many cover ideas, mostly with Alanis on the front. On one, I used a close-up of her smiling mouth, overlayed with words from a sign that she’d shot while traveling. She loved it. The label did not. At this point, Jagged Little Pill had sold over 16 million records in the U.S. alone. Cover approved.

Photography by Michele Laurita, Regina Thomas, Heather Stanley, Dash Mihok.