Born in Ontario, Canada, in the town of Napanee, on September 27, 1984, Avril Ramona Lavigne is now one of the most popular rock stars among teenagers because of her independent character, a bit rebellious perhaps, but at the same time sufficiently discreet. Everything but the ordinary. This is the characteristic to keep in mind when describing Avril Lavigne. A free spirit, a wild little girl, Avril is one of those rare creatures who start to make their voice and personality heard around the age of two. A girl in a small town that can’t be held back in class, animated by a great determination and the desire to break through, so much so that almost with her own strength alone, she leaves for New York City and Los Angeles to test her musical eagerness. A fierce 17-year-old girl, with the right cards in her pocket to achieve success. Avril Lavigne really put her intentions into practice in her debut album, “Let go” (2002), a record that shows off her vocal qualities, her crystal clear voice, and lyrics, a mirror of her generation and what she really is. “Anything but ordinary” is an ode to individuality, while the first single “Complicated”, is a song whose impetus knocks down the evil intent. “I’m with you” reaches instead the point of connection with the gentler side of Avril, but tracks like “Losing Grip” and “Unwanted”, bravely compare topics like rejection and betrayal, with all that whirlwind of reactions that such themes bring in themselves. Then there is “My world” and the metaphorical “Mobile”, which perfectly articulate Avril Lavigne’s experience. Apparently Avril was born with all this anxiety. A little girl who “always wanted to be the center of attention” and destined to leave her native Napanee, a town of five thousand souls. During a trip to New York, Avril Lavigne attracts the attention of Antonio “LA” Reid, who immediately senses her extraordinary talent and puts her under contract with Arista. At the age of 16, she moved to Manhattan and began working on her first CD, immersing herself fearlessly in the middle of the creative process. “I love writing. When I’m sad and want to get rid of this state of mind, I grab my guitar. Sometimes I think my guitar is a bit my therapist.” Despite her great dedication, during her time in New York, Avril’s initial efforts in the recording studio didn’t seem to produce the desired effects. “I started working with some really amazing people, but I still didn’t feel comfortable. It was as if the songs didn’t fully represent me,” she admits. “I realized how vital it was for me to write my own songs, to make my own music. It was a pretty stressful time, but I never wanted to give up.” Animated by the urgent need to express herself in her music Avril changes costs and flies to Los Angeles where she finds the concentration and freshness she needs. In Los Angeles, she meets author and producer Cliff Magness and… “I said to myself… yes, I found the right man! We immediately understood each other, because he was a discreet guide for me; he really understood what I wanted to do and allowed me to express myself freely”. The songs of “Let go” start to flow, with Magness at the helm and the emerging team… “The Matrix”, whose previous works include songs for Sheena Easton and Christina Aguilera. Avril hooks up with Nettwerk Management, already leading the careers of Sarah McLachlan, Dido, Coldplay, Barenaked Ladies and Sum 41. Her second work comes out two years after the first one and it seems to confirm the talent of the Canadian girl who drives teenagers on all continents crazy: the title of the album is “Under my skin” and the single “Don’t tell me” is as enthralling as few other songs in the international pop and rock scene of the period. Avril Lavigne is always looking forward to playing her music live. She jokingly points out that touring with her wild band is not that different from what she did as a child. “I’ve always been a bad boy and I think I still am. I used to play hockey in the cold seasons and baseball in the summer. I loved playing sports when I was a kid.”But Avril Lavigne’s music is able to reach boys and girls indifferently, and certainly, even all those adults still animated by the spirit of adventure, indeed, it is precisely the reaction of the latter that wants to provoke, awakening their latent desire for fun. “I can’t wait to play live around the world! I want people to realize that my music is real, honest, straight from the heart. For me, it’s crucial to be yourself in what you do.” At the end of September 2004 the first part of the new 32-stage world tour called “Bonez Tour”, which will end on November 25th in Kelowna, Canada, begins with the Munich concert. At the end of 2004, the album will have more than 7 million copies sold. On March 12, 2005, in Kobe, Japan, the second part of the tour begins in Kobe, Japan, with a total of 99 dates, which will end on September 25 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In Italy two concerts: in Milan on May 29th and Naples on May 31st. Also in 2005, Avril arrives at the world of animation cinema: first contributing to the soundtrack of the movie “Spongebob”, then giving voice to Heather, a character from the movie “Over the Hedge”. In autumn she recorded a cover of “Imagine” by John Lennon for an initiative in favor of Amnesty International. In the concert-tribute to Metallica Avril is called to play “Fuel”, a famous piece by James Hetfield’s band that, present at the concert, called her performance one of the best. On February 21st, 2006 she performed in Turin in an acoustic concert together with her historical guitarist Evan Taubenfeld during the awards ceremony of the Olympic competitions. She also performed on February 26th for the closing ceremony, with the song “Who Knows”. On July 15, 2006, Avril married her boyfriend Deryck Whibley, singer of “Sum 41”, in a private estate in Fresno, California. She will fly to Italy for her honeymoon, apparently enjoying the Bel Paese and its cuisine. The relationship lasts until 2009.
The next album is “The Best Damn Thing” (2007). This is followed by “Goodbye Lullaby” (2011) and “Avril Lavigne” (2013). At the beginning of July 2013, Avril gets married to Chad Kroeger, singer of Nickelback.
In March 2015 she breaks the silence on the mystery of the disease that affected her and tells People Magazine that she was forced to stay in bed for five months because of Lyme disease (of bacterial origin).
The Canadian singer returns to the scene with a new album entitled “Head Above Water” in February 2019.
Discography
2002 – Let Go
2004 – Under My Skin
2007 – The Best Damn Thing
2011 – Goodbye Lullaby
2013 – Avril Lavigne
2019 – Head Above Water
