Date of birth: 1984-09-27
Birthplace: Napanee, Ontario, Canada
Height: 5' 2"
Nationality: Canadian
Profession: musician
Avril Ramona Lavigne (born September 27, 1984) is a Juno Award-winning Canadian singer, songwriter, model, and occasional actress. She was originally known for her "skater punk" persona, but has since shed that image in favour of a more sophisticated and feminine style. Her two albums, Let Go (2002) and Under My Skin (2004), have topped charts in several countries.
Although her surname is of French origin, she does not speak French and her name is pronounced in an anglicized way, somewhat as []. Lavigne, or rather la vigne, in French means the vine or the vineyard. Her first name, Avril, is French for April, but is also pronounced in an anglicized way as [] ("A-vreel").
Lavigne is featured in Maxim magazine's Girls of Maxim gallery. In 2006, she was included in Canadian Business Magazine's ranking of the most powerful Canadians in Hollywood, grabbing the seventh position.
Biography
Early life (1984-2001)
Avril was born in Belleville, OntarioThorley, Joe. Avril Lavigne The Unofficial Book, Virgin Books, 2003 to Franco-Ontarian Roman Catholic parents John and Judy Lavigne. Avril's musical talent was first spotted at the age of two when her mother says Avril began singing along with her on church songs. At age five she moved with her family to Napanee, Ontario, where she sang in a church choir and taught herself to play the guitar.
In 1998, Lavigne won a competition to sing with fellow Canadian singer Shania Twain on her first major concert tour. She appeared alongside Twain at her concert in Ottawa, appearing on stage to sing.
She was discovered by her first professional manager, Cliff Fabri, while singing country covers at a Chapters bookstore in Kingston, Ontario. During a performance with the Lennox Community Theatre, Avril was spotted by local folk singer Steve Medd, who invited her to sing on his song "Touch The Sky" for his 1999 album Quinte Spirit. She also sang on "Temple Of Life" and "Two Rivers" for his follow up album, My Window To You, in 2000.
At the age of sixteen she was signed by Ken Krongard, the artists-and-repertoire A&R representative of Arista Records, who invited the head of Arista, Antonio "L.A." Reid, to hear her sing in a New York City studio. She then completed work on her first album. Avril is extremely close to her younger sister Michelle Lavigne and her older brother Matthew Lavigne. Michelle is two years younger than Avril while Matt (Matthew) is three years older than Avril.
Let Go (2001-2003)
After attempts to capture Lavigne's sound, Arista A&R head Josh Saurbin reached out to producer-songwriters Curt Frasca and Sabelle Breer (Madonna, Ryan Cabrera, Stacie Orrico) to help with the album. Lavigne eventually moved to Los Angeles, California and co-wrote with Cliff Magness and the songwriting team The Matrix. They have also worked with singers such as Sheena Easton and Christina Aguilera.
Lavigne described her first release Let Go as an album with "a couple of rock songs on it" and has voiced a desire to write more rock-oriented songs in the future. Let Go was released on June 4, 2002 in the United States, reaching number two there and number one in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. This made Lavigne the youngest female soloist to have a number-one album in the UK up until that time (17 yr old Joss Stone broke Avril's record in 2003).
Just over one month after its release, "Let Go" was certified both Gold and Platinum by the RIAA and reached multi-Platinum status in late-August, and was certified 3x Platinium two weeks after. Before the end of 2002, just six months after its debut, it was certified 4x Platinum by the RIAA. It sold a total of 13,197,000 copies worldwide. It was the best selling album of the year for a female artist and for a debut album in 2002.
Four singles from the album were released. "Complicated" went to number one in Australia, while reaching number two on the U.S. Hot 100, and it was also one of the best-selling Canadian singles of 2002. Avril Lavigne tied a record set by Natalie Imbruglia when "Complicated" held the number one spot on the Contemporary Hit Radio chart (which tracks air play on the radio) for 11 weeks in a row. Natalie Imbruglia previously held the record with her song "Torn", which also held onto number one for 11 weeks. "Sk8er Boi" reached the top ten in the U.S. and Australia, "I'm With You" reached the top ten in the U.S and the UK, and "Losing Grip" reached the top ten in Taiwan, and the top twenty in Chile.
Lavigne was named "Best New Artist" at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, won four Juno Awards in 2003 (out of six nominations), a World Music Award for World's Best-Selling Canadian Singer, and was nominated for six Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year for "Complicated" and Best New Artist.
Under My Skin (2003-2005)
Lavigne's second album Under My Skin was released on May 25, 2004 in the U.S. It debuted at number one in the U.S., the UK, Germany, Japan, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Ireland, Thailand, Korea and Hong Kong and sold more than 380,000 copies in the U.S. in its first week. Lavigne wrote most of the album with Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk, though some tracks were co-written by Ben Moody (formerly of Evanescence), Butch Walker of Marvelous 3, and her former lead guitarist Evan Taubenfeld. Kreviazuk's husband, Our Lady Peace front man Raine Maida, co-produced the album with Butch Walker and Don Gilmore.
Lead single "Don't Tell Me" went to number one in Argentina and Mexico, the top five in the UK and Canada, and the top ten in Australia and Brazil. "My Happy Ending" reached the top ten in the U.S., and was her third-biggest hit there, but third single "Nobody's Home" did not make the top forty. The fourth single from the album, "He Wasn't", reached a fair twenty-three in the UK and twenty-five in Australia, and was not released in the U.S. Fall To Pieces was released as the final single from the album, but did not do as well as previous singles.
Lavigne won two World Music Awards in 2004 for World's Best Pop/Rock Artist and World's Best-Selling Canadian Artist. She received five Juno Award nominations in 2005, picking up three, including Fan Choice Award, Artist of the Year, and Pop Album of the Year. She also won the award for Favorite Female Singer at the eighteenth Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. Lavigne co-wrote "Breakaway" with Matthew Gerard, which was recorded by Kelly Clarkson for the soundtrack to the film (2004). "Breakaway" was later included on Clarkson's second album Breakaway, being released as the album's first single. "Breakaway" peaked in the U.S. top ten and provided Clarkson with a substantial hit.
Recent activities (2005-Present)
Lavigne represented Canada at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. She performed her song, "Who Knows", during the eight minutes of the Vancouver 2010 portion.
Lavigne made her film debut in the animated film Over the Hedge, which is based on the comic strip of same name, alongside William Shatner, Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, and Steve Carell. She is also acting in the Richard Gere film The Flock, and her third project is Fast Food Nation, based on her favourite book.
Her third album currently does not have a release date or a title, and it is being produced by Butch Walker, Deryck Whibley (Sum 41, Treble Charger), Rob Cavallo (Green Day, The Goo Goo Dolls,My Chemical Romance, Jewel), Dr. Luke and herself.More third album news On July 10, 2006, Avril Lavigne answered a Q&A on her official website stating that her next CD will be released in the first half of next year, 2007. Avril says that her new album will contain love songs since 'that's what I'm feeling at the moment' and that she is enjoying being able to write songs with Butch Walker. It is said on her message board on her official website that her new album will contain 15 songs. "Of course, I still have my boy-bashing songs, but they're very playful. So the record is really fun and cool and different and honestly, I think it's my best record yet. I can say that with confidence." Avril has also recorded a new song titled "Keep Holding On" with Dr. Luke, to be part of the Eragon movie soundtrack, and third album, due in April 2007. The song was released for digital download on November 28th, and made its worldwide debut on radio on November 17th.
Media Image
Until 2003, Lavigne traveled with a bag full of about 30 neckties. Some of them she bought, and the rest she took from her father; some were sent to her by fans. Lavigne stopped wearing neckties in 2003, as she was horrified at the media references to her style overshadowing her music, and that she was starting a fashion trend.
The classification of Lavigne's style of music has been debated. All Music Guide and other reviewers consider her to be "teen pop" or "adult/alternative pop-rock". It is questioned whether or not her music style is punk. The reason for the confusion appears to be for her punk-like appearance early in her career, probably started by her record company in the beginning of her career as the punky alternative to Britney Spears. However, there have been several occasions where she has stated "I'm not punk." Avril told Vainquer Magazine in April 2005, that she considered her music to be pop rock.
Lavigne spoke about her glamorous new look in a September 2006 interview. She explains, "When I was in high school I was a little shit, hanging out with the guys, getting drunk, smoking, getting in fights, playing hockey. My band were all guys, so I was only around guys, but when I got older I started being more of a chick. I broke out on the scene looking like the 17-year-old that I was. And from then to now I look really different - but that's called growing up."
On September 26, 2006, Lavigne was caught spitting on paparazzi photographer's face after being caught kissing her husband Deryck Whibley in her car. On September 27, 2006, which happened to be Lavigne's 22nd birthday, Lavigne exited a club with her husband and a few friends only to find herself surrounded by paparazzi and autograph-seekers. She gave her autograph along with some profanity to the seekers. After she got into her car, she leaned out the window and spat on the camera lens of the nearest photographer. Lavigne later issued a public apology for spitting on the photographers, claiming "It's trying at best dealing with their insistent intrusions. I meant no offense to my fans, whose relationship I truly value." No detailed explanation was offered for the incident.
Personal life
It has been speculated that Lavigne is a vegetarian, but she has said many times that she is not. In the January 2003 issue of Seventeen magazine, she admitted to "snagging a bite of Matt's cheeseburgers every now and again." Also in a recent interview, she said she prefers not to eat meat, but will not say she's a vegetarian "in case anyone caught her eating meat". As a teenager she would hang out at the La Pizzeria restaurant in Napanee, Ontario. In her Under My Skin Bonez Documentary, she has stated that pizza with olive toppings is her favourite food, although she doesn't eat it too much because pizza is not good for her voice. Since her rise to fame, the restaurant has named a pizza after Avril that contains her favourite toppings and there is a guest book for fans to sign which is picked up by Avril when she visits friends and family in her home town.
Lavigne has a star tattooed on the inside of her left wrist that matches the style of the one used for her first album artwork. It was created at the same time as friend and musical associate Ben Moody's identical tattoo. In late 2004, she had a small pink heart-shaped tattoo featuring the letter 'D' applied to her right wrist — thought to be a reference to husband Deryck Whibley. She has also bought a house with him in Beverly Hills.
Lavigne was romantically linked to her former guitarist Jesse Colburn but despite rumours, she did not have a relationship with another former guitarist Evan Taubenfeld. In a J-14 magazine from 2004, she talks about her first kiss being when she was 14 years old. In M magazine in 2003, an article was published about an ex-boyfriend selling her love letters on eBay.
In February 2004, she began dating fellow Canadian singer, Deryck Whibley, the lead singer/guitarist of punk rock band Sum 41. In June 2005 they became engaged. Whibley proposed to Lavigne by surprising her with a trip to Venice, a gondola ride, and then a romantic picnic. The couple finally married in a traditional ceremony on Saturday, July 15th, 2006 at a private estate in the California coastal city of Montecito. Lavigne wore a Vera Wang gown, carried pearl white Australian roses and was walked down the aisle by her father. Whibley wore a Hugo Boss suit and was accompanied by four best men. They were Steve Jocz and Cone McCaslin from Sum 41, Matthew Lavigne (Avril's older brother), and Sum 41's close friend Robb Dipple. Avril's younger sister Michelle Lavigne was one of Avril's bridesmaids. There were about 110 guests in attendance. The hit song Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls was played as their wedding song. When asked if they were ready for kids they said "not right now but somewhere down the road."
