Avril Lavigne - Uncomplicated Superstar Still Skating On Success
As a teenager Avril Lavigne caused a storm in the music scene. She was no Britney Spears nor Alanis Morissette, but she possessed the former’s pop appeal and the latter’s angst when it comes to performing. Her early fashion choices also made a statement of their own. Now nearing 40, Lavigne continues what she started doing years ago - making beautiful music.
Avril Ramona L. Lavigne was born on September 27, 1984 in the city of Belleville in Ontario, Canada.
“Avril” is “April” in French.
Her middle-class family relocated in the town of Napanee (still in Ontario) when she was five.
Jean-Claude “John” Dzierzbicki Lavigne and Judith-Rosanne “Judy” Loshaw-Lavigne are her parents.
She’s a middle child.
Her older brother is Matthew (two years older than her). Their younger sister is Michelle (three years younger than her).
According to Digital Spy, her siblings would jest at her singing. She recalled:
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My brother and sister used to make fun of me and say when I sang, my nostrils would flare.
Avril Lavigne also shared an anecdote about how her mother discovered her singing talent. When she was 2 years old, she sang Jesus Loves Meon their way home from church.
In 1999, at 14, she won a contest. The prize? A duet with Canadian country singer Shania Twain.
Avril Lavigne in braids with brother Matthew, touching the shaved head of Cliff Fabri and a cigar on her mouth
In December 1999, Canadian talent manager Cliff Fabri discovered her. She was singing that time at Chapters, an Ontario bookstore.
On why he decided to manage Avril Lavigne, Fabri said, as quoted by the site Sk8ter Faker:
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The thing that attracted me to her . . . wasn’t the voice, wasn’t the looks, wasn’t the songs. It was the attitude, the confidence.
That’s also what Canadian folk singer and songwriter Stephen Bruce Medd observed.
Medd, who wrote two songs for Lavigne for his album, which she later used as her demo CDs (compact discs), said:
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It was her love of singing that gave her the confidence.
Avril Lavigne in black outfit with her parents at the backstage of ‘Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon’
Under the wings of Fabri, Avril Lavigne met these top music executives:
Brian Hetherman (Universal Music Canada)
Mark Jowett (Nettwerk Records)
Antonio “L.A.” Reid (Arista Records)
In 2000, Jowett made her work with songwriter and music producer Peter Zizzo in New York. In November of the same year, Reid watched her sing at Zizzo’s studio..
That same day, Arista Records wanted to offer a contract to then-16-year-old Avril Lavigne.
Complicated was the first song to be written for her first album.
In the Toronto leg of Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour Tour (April 5, 2022-July 7, 2022), Avril Lavigne joined her on stage to sing Complicated.
On June 4, 2002, Arista Records released Let Go, with 13 tracks, including the hit singles Complicated, Sk8er Boi, and I’m With You.
As of September 2015, it sold 6.9 million copies in the U.S.
Avril Lavigne earned her first Grammy nomination (Best Pop Vocal Album) for this one. In 2003, she won two Juno Awards: Album of the Year and Pop Album of the Year.
Avril Lavigne in blazer and baggy pants and with her hands crossed
Love Suxfinds Avril Lavigne returning to the early 00s pop-punk roots that made her name and produced MTV-saturating hits such as Sk8er Boi. It’s a nostalgic vibe.
Avril Lavigne in black T-shirt, camouflage pants, green T-shirt, arm bands and spike bracelets
From July 15, 2006 to November 16, 2010, Avril Lavigne was married to Deryck Whibley, lead vocalist of the Canadian rock band Sum 41. He was 25, she was 21 when they exchanged vows in California.
They have remained good friends after their split.
In 2014, Whibley and her mother watched a Los Angeles show of Lavigne. That time, she already remarried.
In February 2022, the ex-couple and Mod Sun had dinner in Nobu in Malibu.
In 2007, Avril Lavigne nearly sued Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk.
Kreviazuk claimed that Lavigne stole a song she wrote. Eventually, the former publicly apologized for her allegations.
Lavigne countered that she and her then-lead guitarist Evan Taubenfeld wrote the song in question, reported CBC.
Prior to this, Avril Lavigne was already accused twice for stealing someone else’s song.
That same year, Tommy Dunbar of The Rubinoos, a group that started in the ‘70s, filed a lawsuit against her.
Per Billboard, Dunbar found Lavigne’s Girlfriend (2007)sounding like their song I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (1973).
The parties involved agreed in an out-of-court settlement.
At one time, blogger and podcaster Perez Hilton compared her I Don’t Have to Try (2007)to I’m The Kinda (2003)by Peaches. He noted how the former’s opening part sounded like the latter.
Avril Lavigne performs her medley of hits | Juno Awards 2022
An early gift came unwrapped and in the form of a star-shaped thing, with her name engraved on it.
It’s not a unique gift, though. Similar stars can be found near hers. But, hey, not every star like her gets to have thatstar.
She tweeted on September 1:
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Look Mom. I got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
On August 31, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce honoredAvril Lavigne with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the “Recording” category.
Hers is the 2,731th star to be given.
Avril Lavigne showed up in her “favorite hoodie in high school,” as she replied to an inquiry by Entertainment Tonight regarding her choice of outfit.
The hoodie comes with “Skateboarding is not a crime” imprinted on it.
It was the same one she wore when she was 16 and posing for a picture at the famous Hollywood Boulevard spot.
That’s not the only memento present in the ceremony. She also brought with her a framed photo of that incident.
Avril Lavigne in blue hoodie and plaid pants posing with her Hollywood Walk of Fame star
American rapperand singer-songwriter Machine Gun Kelly (born Colson Baker) attended the awarding ceremony as guest speaker.
At the podium, standing next to her, he told Avril Lavigne about the joy of meeting and working with her “as a fan and as a friend.”
The 32-year-old performer also praised her:
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You’re so important. The [Hollywood Walk of Fame] star is a microcosm of everything that you are doing and have done for us. Your songs will live far past any of our lifetime.
Billboard’s 2022 “Top Rock Artist” recipient collaborated with her in Bois Liefrom her Love Suxalbum.
Avril Lavigne always sings Bois Liein her Mainstream Sellout Tour (Jun 8, 2022-October 12, 2022). Machine Gun Kelly, whom she calls “Kells,” would join her on stage.
Avril Lavigne in black top and pants pouts as pink-haired Machine Gun Kelly in fishnet shirt leans backward
Avril Lavigne and the phenomenal professional skateboarder, Tony Hawk, never dated.
They only appeared in a 27-second TikTok video posted by Lavigne on June 21, 2021.
That video (37.2 million views so far) shows her lip-syncing parts of “Sk8er Boi” as the then-53-year-old Hawk showcases his skills on a portable skateboard ramp.
Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., his star (2,189th star) is the only one mounted on a wall (at the Dolby Theater entrance) and not on the sidewalk of Hollywood Boulevard.
Avril Lavigne in the covers of 2022 Harper’s Bazaar-Vietnam, 2022 INROCK and 2022 Basic magazine