Avril Lavigne

Grammy award-winning Canadian singer and songwriter Avril Lavigne emerged as a global figure in the early 2000s, propelled by punk-tinged pop anthems and an image that rejected conventional starlet glamour. Her 2002 debut single “Complicated” showcased a deliberate skatepunk persona that stood apart from the era’s glossy pop sounds, drawing in listeners beyond typical mainstream circles before she fully claimed them. At just 17, she quickly turned into a teen idol, moving millions of copies of her first album Let Go—the top-selling release by any female artist that year—while sparking widespread fashion trends through her signature tank tops paired with neckties. As the 2000s advanced, her commercially viable style shifted toward introspection on the chart-topping follow-up Under My Skin, then embraced a bolder, energetic vibe for 2007’s The Best Damn Thing. Following two successful albums, she stepped away from public view for three years to address Lyme disease health concerns, resurfacing in 2019 with the reflective sixth album Head Above Water. In 2021 she issued her first release on Travis Barker’s DTA imprint, the pop-punk track “Bite Me,” which appeared on the 2022 project Love Sux.

Raised in a strict Christian family in the modest Ontario community of Bellville, Lavigne honed her singing voice through church ensembles, neighborhood festivals, and regional fairs. During her early teenage years she picked up guitar and began composing, initially concentrating on country material and lending vocals to multiple records by local folk artist Steve Medd. Arista Records discovered her talent and signed her at 16, with CEO Antonio “L.A.” Reid personally guiding her development. She left high school, moved to Manhattan, and collaborated with established songwriters and producers, yet those sessions yielded only country tracks despite her growing interest in rock. The label eventually redirected her to Los Angeles, where she crafted her melodic yet edgy debut with teams such as the Matrix. Let Go arrived in 2002 as a refined result, its four strong-charting singles—“Complicated,” “Sk8er Boi,” “I’m with You,” and “Losing Grip”—driving the project to multi-platinum certification within its second month. She became the youngest female musician to top the U.K. album chart, then promoted the hugely successful release, which later earned eight Grammy nominations, through an extensive tour spanning Europe, Asia, North America, and Australia.

Unlike many teen idols of her generation whose appeal leaned on provocative visuals or suggestive lyrics, Lavigne forged a distinct path as a superstar whose draw rested elsewhere. She further set herself apart by skipping professional writing teams for her second album, instead partnering with singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk, Evanescence’s Ben Moody, and touring guitarist Evan Taubenfeld. Under My Skin, released in May 2004, adopted a more somber tone than its predecessor, addressing topics such as premarital sex in “Don’t Tell Me,” depression in “Nobody’s Home,” and the passing of her grandfather in “Slipped Away.” It entered at number one across more than ten countries, achieved platinum status within a month, and cemented her status as a pop fixture. A track co-written by Lavigne and ultimately excluded—“Breakaway”—later went to Kelly Clarkson, who adopted it as the title song and lead single for her own Grammy-winning second album.

In July 2006 Lavigne wed Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley after two years together, just weeks after voicing the character Heather the opossum in the animated feature Over the Hedge. She also appeared in Richard Linklater’s film adaptation of Fast Food Nation that November. Most of the year, however, went toward her third album; she recruited former blink-182 drummer Travis Barker on drums and selected an array of producers, including her husband, to oversee sessions. The Best Damn Thing surfaced in April 2007, its opening single “Girlfriend” reviving the playful, rebellious punk-pop spirit of her debut. The track soon sparked a lawsuit from 1970s power-pop group the Rubinoos, who alleged it borrowed from their 1979 song “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend.” Despite the negative attention, “Girlfriend” became her largest U.S. hit to date, while the album reached the summit of charts around the world.

Lavigne initiated divorce proceedings from Whibley in October 2009. Their split informed much of her subsequent record, 2011’s Goodbye Lullaby, which featured several tracks produced by her former spouse. She reentered the studio mere weeks after Goodbye Lullaby appeared and began shaping her fifth album. In 2012 she started writing with Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger, and the two later began a relationship, marrying on July 1, 2013. By then she had already issued the platinum-certified single “Here’s to Never Growing Up,” the first taste of her self-titled fifth album. Released in October, Avril Lavigne contained eight songs co-authored by Kroeger, who also joined her for the third single “Let Me Go.”

Early in 2015 Lavigne unveiled “Fly,” an uplifting ballad composed for the Special Olympics World Summer Games. That same month she disclosed her Lyme disease diagnosis. She and Kroeger soon separated. For several years afterward she focused on recovery and largely avoided the spotlight. In 2018 she resurfaced with the single “Head Above Water,” drawn from her illness experience; the song surprisingly reached the Christian radio top ten. Though the accompanying album Head Above Water, issued in February 2019, marked her lowest-charting full-length to that point, it still entered Canada’s top five, the U.K. top ten, and number 13 on the Billboard 200.

After reworking “Warrior” from Head Above Water into “We Are Warriors” to support pandemic relief in 2020, Lavigne returned to recording her seventh album alongside producers such as Travis Barker, Machine Gun Kelly, Mod Sun, and Goldfinger’s John Feldmann. In the interim she appeared on Mod Sun’s early-2021 single “Flames” and, mid-year, on Willow Smith’s “Grow” alongside Barker, before joining Barker’s Elektra Music Group subsidiary DTA Records. Her own track “Bite Me” arrived later in 2021. That punk-driven song anchored her seventh album, 2022’s Love Sux, which also included “Love It When You Hate Me” featuring Blackbear and “I’m a Mess” with Yungblud. The record reached number three in Canada and entered the Billboard 200 top ten. Promotional efforts for the project extended into a celebratory 2024 Greatest Hits tour that aligned with the launch of her first career-spanning collection.