Profile
Avril Lavigne: The Pop-Punk Princess Who Defined the 2000s
Canadian singer-songwriter behind 'Complicated' and 'Sk8er Boi'
Avril Lavigne grew up in the small town of Napanee, Ontario, singing in church and at local fairs. A record executive, Antonio 'L.A.' Reid, signed her to Arista Records after hearing her sing, and she moved to New York and then Los Angeles to write her first album.
That album, Let Go, came out in 2002 and became one of the best-selling debuts of the decade. Complicated, Sk8er Boi and I'm with You dominated radio, earning her eight Grammy nominations. Her follow-up, Under My Skin, went to number one in several countries, including the UK.
She later topped charts with Girlfriend in 2007. After a long battle with Lyme disease, she returned with the album Head Above Water in 2019, and then the punk-pop Love Sux in 2022, which welcomed her back as a leader of the genre's revival.
Career highlights
- 2002Let Go: record-breaking debut album
- 2002Complicated: first major hit single
- 2004Under My Skin: number one in the UK
- 2007Girlfriend: tops the US Billboard Hot 100
- 2019Head Above Water: comeback after Lyme disease
- 2022Love Sux: joins the pop-punk revival
Did you know?At 18, she became the youngest female solo artist at the time to top the UK albums chart, with Let Go.
