Throughout her auspicious career, Apple has been lauded by the music industry while standing defiantly outside it. At 20, she struck back at 33-year-old Courtney Love, who had criticized Apple for appearing in her "Criminal" video wearing only her skivvies. "I told her, 'Bitch, you're out there wearing your underwear, too,'" Apple once recounted. And she's still circumspect about her quick trajectory. "With my first album, like a lot of people, I was trying to find my place in the world, to prove myself . . . and to get revenge," she says, laughing. "With the second album, I started having more self-confidence. I knew where I wanted to go with things, with the songs."
And now that she has finally completed her third and most successful effort to date? Now can she step on stage in front of a thousand expectant fans and actually enjoy herself?
"Everything for me right now," she says, "is about enjoying myself."
