Alanis Morissette: Songs can't help heartbreak

Alanis Morissette thinks writing songs can't heal heartbreak after realising music is just a form of art.

Alanis Morissette thinks writing songs can't heal heartbreak.

The 38-year-old singer discovered a more mature outlook on songwriting with her seventh album 'Havoc and Bright Lights' after she realised her angst-ridden songs couldn't mend her broken heart and music is just a form of art.

Alanis said: "I used to think that writing a song about something would heal it. After singing 'You Oughta Know' 450,000 times, I was still pretty hung up.

"I realised that art is just a beautiful form of expression."

The singer - who has 20-month-old son Ever with husband Mario 'Souleye' Treadway - shot to fame in 1995 with her iconic angry anthems on 'Jagged Little Pill' album, but despite now pioneering a more uplifting musical style, she still loves listening to depressing music.

Alanis told Stylist magazine: "One of my favourite songs at the moment is Gotye's 'Somebody That I Used To Know', that idea of someone with whom you were so intimate now being a stranger is painful and gorgeous."

The star also recently admitted she wishes she had reached out for help when she came down with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder because of her debut LP.

She said: "Everything was about, 'I can do it myself.' It completely dismissed the idea of connecting with each other. I wish I'd asked for more support."