Rozzi Talks Her Love for Alanis Morissette and Why She HAD to Cover ‘Hand in My Pocket’
This Friday, Nov. 18, singer-songwriter, pianist and producer Rozzi drops her new Berry (Deluxe) album, and its final tease just might be our favorite.
It comes in the form of a new single—Rozzi's own stripped-back, triumphant rendition of Alanis Morissette's '90s classic, "Hand in My Pocket." The song is very close to Rozzi's heart, and you can feel it in every bold strike of the piano and soulful note sung. It's one of four fabulous new tracks joining the songs off of the artist's Berry and Hymn for Tomorrow EPs on the new album, complementing them to perfection, and we just had to learn more. We had the pleasure of chatting with her all about the cover and why it's important to her, and she shared it all in the interview below.
Sweety High: Have you always been a fan of Alanis Morissette? What made you decide to do this cover?
Rozzi: I've been a fan of Alanis Morissette since I was in the backseat of my mom's car as a kid. She is one of my heroes, particularly because of her commitment to extreme vulnerability and honesty in her lyrics. In that regard and many others, I am doing my best to follow in her footsteps. Like her, I try to write words that feel way too personal to share.
SH: What about the song speaks to you most?
Rozzi: I feel like we need this song more than ever. In the pervasive darkness of the times we're living in, I've been craving a dose of '90s optimism. I've wanted to feel like we really will be "quite alright." That's why I started singing this song at my live shows—because I wanted my audiences to feel that same sense of hope.
(Photo credit: Bennet Perez)
SH: What's your favorite lyric from the song? Why?
Rozzi: The whole second verse means so much to me. It really captures the feeling of being young and doing your best. Of being tired but working, of being wrong but it being okay. But if I had to pick one lyric, I think it would be, "And what it all comes down to is that I haven't got it all figured out just yet." I try to take that in as a mantra and give the perfectionist in my head a break.
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SH: What changes did you make to the track to give it your own Rozzi twist?
Rozzi: I could not have captured this version of the song without Bryn Bliska and India Carney. It was a really collaborative and fun process. Bryn is my old friend from high school and one of the greatest musicians in the business. She and I recorded the piano and lead vocal in my apartment with a borrowed microphone while she was in L.A. on tour with Jacob Collier. And then India did the background vocal arrangement, and I'm not kidding—I felt emotional when she first sent it to me. She's one of those singers that your favorite singer is already obsessed with, and her ear is really unparalleled. I could have come up with some harmonies myself, but I knew I wanted her unique and beautiful sound.
(Photo credit: Bennet Perez)
SH: What does it mean to you that many fans might be hearing the song for the first time in the form of your cover?
Rozzi: Introducing anyone to this song feels like an honor. The thing about it is it's really timeless—I feel so certain that any one of my fans will love the original. So if I get to be the reason they find it, that's amazing.
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SH: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
SH: This song is the only cover on my deluxe album that comes out Nov. 18! We've been releasing this album in pieces, and now, finally, the songs will all be in the same place, like I wrote them to be. I'm really proud of this body of work. I hope anyone who listens finds a bit of themselves in my words. And I hope it gives them just a little more permission to be their vulnerable and open selves.
(Photo credit: Bennet Perez)
Love Rozzi? Read our interview with Rozzi, breaking down every track on her Berry EP, HERE.