Alanis Morissette used her performance at the Blenheim Palace Festival 2026 on Sunday to draw attention to the global gender pay gap. During her set, the screen behind her displayed messages highlighting the disparity in earnings between men and women.
One message stated, "At the current rate, it will take 202 years for women to achieve equal pay." Another indicated that "Women earn only 10% of the world's income." Morissette performed her hit song "Right Through You," an anthem about confronting industry sexism and reclaiming professional agency, which she said references predatory executives who underestimated her early in her career.
According to UK Parliament data, the overall gender pay gap in Britain for all employees stands at 12.8%. For those in full-time employment, this gap narrows to 6.9%, with men typically earning £20.27 per hour compared to women's £18.87 per hour.
In the United States, women working full-time earn approximately 81 to 85 cents for every dollar earned by men, with the gap being more pronounced for women of color.
Morissette's performance also included other popular songs such as "Ironic," "Hand In My Pocket," "Hands Clean," and "You Learn." She was supported by the London rock band Skunk Anansie, who performed their hits "Weak" and "Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good)."
The festival at the UNESCO World Heritage Site also featured performances by Pete Tong, Michael Bublé, Teddy Swims, and Katy Perry.
In other reflections, Morissette has recently spoken about her past engagement to actor Ryan Reynolds, which ended in 2007. She described a 2008 interview about their breakup as a moment where "it felt like the ongoing normalisation of me being invisible." Morissette stated that she would handle such intrusive questions differently today. She is currently married to rapper Souleye and they have three children.