Avril Lavigne
Created | Updated Dec 18, 2002
Avril Lavigne is anything but ordinary. A new type of singer/songwriter for the new milennium, Avril is definitely not one of the clones of teenage singers that invaded the late 1990s. Instead of the vapid, empty lyrics of many of the "pop princesses," Avril's work is full of angst, love, and soulful reflection. A skater girl with attitude and soul, she brings a whole new side to the rock/pop scene. "I'm just coming out and I'm going to clearly be myself; I write what I feel, I never worry what others think," Avril says. "I'm gonna dress what's me, I'm gonna act what's me and I'm gonna sing what's me."
Avril Lavigne "grew up in a 5,000 population town" (as she points out in her song "My World") called Napanee, Ontario, Canada. Born a middle child, she often hung out with boys which gave her a different perspective from some other girls. "I was always a tomboy and I guess I still am. I played hockey during the fall/winter and baseball in the summer. I loved playing with the boys." She also always strived for the spotlight. She dreamed of becoming a professional singer and wowed people with her voice at the tender age of two. "I always knew this was what I had to do," she says. "I remember when I was really young, standing on my bed like it was a stage, singing at the top of my lungs and visualizing thousands of people surrounding me."
Avril is not afraid to be on her own, and this is proven through her lyrics and her life. As a teenager, she made solo writing trips to New York City, a big city for anyone, especially a teenager on her own. There, she caught the attention of Antonio "LA" Reid who signed her to the Arista record label. She then moved to Manhatten at age sixteen to work on her debut album. She practically lived in the studio during this time but felt unfulfilled. "I started working with these really talented people, but I just wasn't feeling it; the songs weren't representative of me," she explains. "Then they started talking about having people write for me, but I had to write myself. I had to do my music. It was a really stressful time, but I never considered giving up."
Instead of giving up, she moved to Los Angeles where things began to come together for her. She met and instantly clicked with producer/songwriter Clif Magness: "I was like, 'Yeah! I've found my guy!' We totally clicked, because he just let me guide; he really understood me and let me do my thing." Instead of trying to get other songwriters to write for her, Clif let her express herself. Avril says, "I love writing. When I get upset and really need to get it out of me I go to my guitar. Sometimes I feel like my guitar is my therapist."
Writing is definitely a form of therapy for Avril. One of her favorite tracks off her debut album, "Losing Grip," was about a particular time in her life. "That is definitely one of my ex-boys; he didn't give me what I needed emotionally." Avril laughs, "It doesn't matter now, and plus I got a good song out of it." Speaking of her first single "Complicated," she says, "'Complicated' wasn't written about anyone in particular. It is basically about life, people being fake and relationships."
Avril Lavigne's debut album, Let Go, topped the charts in 2002. It was certified triple platinum (selling millions of copies), and the tracks "Complicated," "Sk8er Boi," and "I'm With You" all dominated the airwaves. She couldn't be happier about her album and how it turned out, or how the experience has changed her. "In this past year I've really grown as a writer." But she's not content to sit back and let it all go on around her. "I can't wait to be out there; I want to rock the world! I want people to know that my music is real and honest. It came from my heart. I was just being true to myself." And she loves that her dream has finally come true. "I have this awesome opportunity to fulfill my dream. I am all over the place, flying here and there, going through different stuff every day," she explains. "This is my lifestyle, but I wouldn't want a normal life or I'd get bored." This sentiment is at the crux of her song "Anything But Ordinary." And that sums Avril Lavigne up in a nutshell: anything but ordinary.
Avril's debut album Let Go
1. Losing Grip
2. Complicated
3. Sk8er Boi
4. I'm With You
5. Mobile
6. Unwanted
7. Tomorrow
8. Anything But Ordinary
9. Things I'll Never Say
10. My World
11. Nobody's Fool
12. Too Much To Ask
13. Naked
Avril Lavigne "grew up in a 5,000 population town" (as she points out in her song "My World") called Napanee, Ontario, Canada. Born a middle child, she often hung out with boys which gave her a different perspective from some other girls. "I was always a tomboy and I guess I still am. I played hockey during the fall/winter and baseball in the summer. I loved playing with the boys." She also always strived for the spotlight. She dreamed of becoming a professional singer and wowed people with her voice at the tender age of two. "I always knew this was what I had to do," she says. "I remember when I was really young, standing on my bed like it was a stage, singing at the top of my lungs and visualizing thousands of people surrounding me."
Avril is not afraid to be on her own, and this is proven through her lyrics and her life. As a teenager, she made solo writing trips to New York City, a big city for anyone, especially a teenager on her own. There, she caught the attention of Antonio "LA" Reid who signed her to the Arista record label. She then moved to Manhatten at age sixteen to work on her debut album. She practically lived in the studio during this time but felt unfulfilled. "I started working with these really talented people, but I just wasn't feeling it; the songs weren't representative of me," she explains. "Then they started talking about having people write for me, but I had to write myself. I had to do my music. It was a really stressful time, but I never considered giving up."
Instead of giving up, she moved to Los Angeles where things began to come together for her. She met and instantly clicked with producer/songwriter Clif Magness: "I was like, 'Yeah! I've found my guy!' We totally clicked, because he just let me guide; he really understood me and let me do my thing." Instead of trying to get other songwriters to write for her, Clif let her express herself. Avril says, "I love writing. When I get upset and really need to get it out of me I go to my guitar. Sometimes I feel like my guitar is my therapist."
Writing is definitely a form of therapy for Avril. One of her favorite tracks off her debut album, "Losing Grip," was about a particular time in her life. "That is definitely one of my ex-boys; he didn't give me what I needed emotionally." Avril laughs, "It doesn't matter now, and plus I got a good song out of it." Speaking of her first single "Complicated," she says, "'Complicated' wasn't written about anyone in particular. It is basically about life, people being fake and relationships."
Avril Lavigne's debut album, Let Go, topped the charts in 2002. It was certified triple platinum (selling millions of copies), and the tracks "Complicated," "Sk8er Boi," and "I'm With You" all dominated the airwaves. She couldn't be happier about her album and how it turned out, or how the experience has changed her. "In this past year I've really grown as a writer." But she's not content to sit back and let it all go on around her. "I can't wait to be out there; I want to rock the world! I want people to know that my music is real and honest. It came from my heart. I was just being true to myself." And she loves that her dream has finally come true. "I have this awesome opportunity to fulfill my dream. I am all over the place, flying here and there, going through different stuff every day," she explains. "This is my lifestyle, but I wouldn't want a normal life or I'd get bored." This sentiment is at the crux of her song "Anything But Ordinary." And that sums Avril Lavigne up in a nutshell: anything but ordinary.
Avril's debut album Let Go
1. Losing Grip
2. Complicated
3. Sk8er Boi
4. I'm With You
5. Mobile
6. Unwanted
7. Tomorrow
8. Anything But Ordinary
9. Things I'll Never Say
10. My World
11. Nobody's Fool
12. Too Much To Ask
13. Naked
