Avril Lavigne | The Charismatic Pop Icon from Canada

Avril Lavigne is one of the biggest pop stars in the history of Pop music. She rose to fame in the early 2000s, and she released her seventh studio album in 2022. Her career spans over two decades, consisting of many record-breaking singles and albums. Her debut album, “Let Go,” is listed among the best-selling albums of the century. Avril’s contribution to pop-punk music is considerable, and she’s the second artist in music history to have three top-ten songs from a debut album. 

About

Avril Lavigne is recognized as the Pop-Punk Queen of the era. Her albums have sold over 40 million copies worldwide. She received eight Grammy nominations in a span of two years, and she’s been awarded more than 160 accolades for her music. At the age of 18, she earned a Guinness World Record by becoming the youngest female solo artist to top the U.K. album chart. Her 2007 single, “Girlfriend,” was the first music video to reach 100 million views on YouTube. 

Early Life

On the 27th of September 1984, Avril Ramona Lavigne was born in Belleville, a city located on the shore of Bay Of Quinte in Ontario, Canada. She has two siblings, an older brother, and a younger sister. Her father, John, worked as a technician at Bell Canada, whereas her mother, Judy, was a homemaker. Avril’s parents were devout Christians. They raised their children in a religious environment. One day, while coming back from the church, Judy noticed Avril’s singing abilities when she was singing “Jesus Loves Me.” At that time, Avril was two years old. 

When Avril turned five, the family moved to Napanee, a town located in southeastern Ontario. Upon moving, Avril started singing at the church. Her choice of music was monitored by her parents. She was only allowed to listen to Christian tunes and country songs. By the time she turned 12, she had learned how to play the guitar by herself. While in school, she developed a liking for sports. She played baseball and hockey. In the tenth grade, she learned skateboarding. 

Avril used to spend most of her day playing sports and learning music. Her father supported her musical ambitions. For her music practice, he converted the basement into a studio. He bought her several pieces of equipment like a microphone, keyboard, and a drum kit so she could pursue her passion. Soon, Avril started performing at public events. She sang at the county fairs, hockey games, and company parties. Consequently, she started writing songs. She used to spend hours practicing in front of the mirror. Her parents supported her ambition and started taking her to karaoke sessions. At the age of 15, she participated in a radio contest. That’s when her life changed drastically, and her professional musical journey began. 

Beginning of Career

Young Avril entered the radio contest with confidence. She won the contest and got the opportunity to perform alongside the Queen of Country Pop, Shania Twain. Avril and Shania performed in front of 20,000 people at the Corel Center in Ottawa. She told Shania that she aspires to become a famous singer one day. After that day, Avril continued to perform at the community halls and county fairs. One day, she was performing at the Lennox Community Theater. A local folksinger, Stephen Medd, noticed her. He asked her if she would like to lend her vocals to his album. She agreed and collaborated with him on his single, “Touch The Sky.” Later on, she lent her voice to “Temple of Life” and “Two Rivers.” Both the singles featured in Stephen’s follow-up album, “My Window to You.”

In December 1999, Avril was singing country songs at a bookstore in Kingston. Cliff Fabri, a local music manager, saw her. He liked her voice and confidence. Cliff offered Avril to work with him. He sent audio recordings of Avril’s karaoke performances to several music producers and industry executives. Soon, Mark Jowett, co-founder of the Nettwerk music group, asked her to visit New York to work with Peter Zizzo, a New York-based producer. Avril wanted to go to New York, but she was still in school. She asked her parents if she could quit school and move to New York with her older brother. Her parents agreed, and in the summer of 2000, she flew to NYC. 

Breakthrough

Upon reaching New York, she started working on two songs that later appeared in her debut album. Simultaneously, her audio recordings caught the attention of Antonio “L.A.” Reid, president of Arista Records. In November 2000, Ken Krongard, an A&R agent, invited Reid to Peter Zizzo’s Manhattan studio to see Avril perform. Within 15 minutes of her performance, Arista signed her. She landed a deal worth $1.25 million dollars with an extra $900,000 as a publishing advance. For Avril’s debut album, a band was selected by Nettwerk. The band consisted mainly of young Canadian punk rockers who’d mix up with Avril and her music genre. 

2002-2005: Record-breaking Success

Avril spent several months in New York working on her debut album. A&R Joshua Sarubin took charge of developing and recording her first studio album. Initially, they struggled to create songs that matched her voice and personality. A few months later, Avril moved to L.A. She started working on two singles with The Matrix, an American-British music production team. Together, they created her debut single, “Complicated.” Finally, in January 2002, her first studio album was ready to be released. 

June 2002 marked the release of “Let Go.” It peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart. It reached the number one spot in Australia, Canada, and the U.K. At the age of 17, Avril created history by becoming the first female soloist to reach the number one spot on the U.K. Albums Chart. Her album became the best-selling debut album of the year, and she was the best-selling female artist of 2002. By 2003, her album had received a diamond certification in Canada. Her debut single, “Complicated,” became one of the biggest hits of the decade, followed by successes of “Sk8er Boi” and “I’m with You.” “Let Go” garnered eight nominations at the Grammy Awards. 

Avril’s second studio album, “Under My Skin,” peaked at the number one spot in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, and Japan. The album became five-times certified Platinum in Canada. In 2005, she won several accolades for the album, including two World Music Awards, three Juno Awards, and the Favourite Female Singer award at the annual Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.

2006-Present

In February 2006, at the Winter Olympics, Avril represented Canada in the closing ceremony held in Turin, Italy. The following year, she released her third studio album, “The Best Damn Thing.” Its lead single, “Girlfriend,” became one of the biggest hits of the decade. The album reached the number one spot in over twenty countries and sold more than 6 million copies worldwide. Avril garnered many positive reviews and accolades for the album and became one of the best-selling artists in the world. In 2010, she collaborated with Disney and created the track “Alice” for the movie Alice in Wonderland. 2011 marked the release of “Goodbye Lullaby.” The album was moderately successful and received mixed reviews from critics. 

2014: Struggles with Health 

In 2014, Avril was diagnosed with Lyme disease. The disease started affecting her during a tour. She had to end her tour and return home. She couldn’t do anything for two years. Lyme disease made her body weak. She felt exhausted all the time. It became difficult for her to even get out of the bed. After some time, the disease started causing her chronic pain and dementia. Avril had lost hope. She felt that she wouldn’t be able to survive this. She spent two years in bed feeling trapped in her own body. Due to the debilitating disease, she was depressed. During the difficult times, she started writing songs. By 2018, she was able to fully recover from the disease.

2019-Present 

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After recovering from Lyme disease, Avril released her sixth studio album, “Head Above Water.” The album received mixed reviews from critics. However, it debuted in the top ten in more than twenty countries. In 2021, Avril collaborated with Mod Sun and released “Flames.” Critics applauded the song, and it garnered favorable reviews. In February 2022, Avril released her seventh studio album, “Love Sux.” The album debuted at the number three spot on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart. The critically acclaimed album became the best-selling female cassette of 2022. Overall, it is Avril’s highest-rated album to date. 

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