She Made Pop-Punk Hers
Avril Lavigne is the Canadian singer and songwriter whose chart-topping hits from “Sk8er Boi” to “Girlfriend” earned her the title of “Pop-Punk Princess”. Her search for a prince inspired her biggest hits—and most painful misses.
picture alliance, Getty Images
1. She Was Named After A Month
Avril Ramona Lavigne was not, as her name might suggest, born in the month of April. She sang her first notes on September 27, 1984. Her father did, however, pick the name “Avril”—French for “April”—quite deliberately. Growing up in Belleville and then Napanee, Ontario, she was a breath of fresh spring air in the small French-Canadian countryside.
That small town would inspire big sounds.
2. She Was Singing From The Age Of Two
Lavigne wasted no time belting out sing-along chart-toppers. She had gotten her musical talent from her father who strummed the bass guitar at the family’s church in Kingston. By the time she was two years old, she was ready for the mic. On the way from church one day, she stunned her parents by belting out “Jesus Loves Me” in perfect pitch.
But she had an early critic.
Barbro Andersen, Wikimedia Commons
3. Her Brother Was Her Biggest Critic
Wedged between older brother Matthew and younger sister Michelle, Avril Lavigne turned bedtime into showtime. But she didn’t exactly get standing ovations. “My brother used to knock on the wall,” Lavigne recalled, “because I used to sing myself to sleep and he thought it was really annoying”. Thankfully, Lavigne had other supporters in her house.
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4. Her Dad Built Her A Studio
Far from trying to shut her up, Lavigne’s father gave her the tools to turn up the volume. To feed his daughter’s growing obsession, he kitted her out with a microphone, a drum kit, a keyboard, and a small armory of guitars. Then he went one better, gutting the family basement and turning it into a homemade recording studio.
She wasted no time getting to work.
5. She Played At Local Fairs
Long before the eyeliner and attitude, Lavigne was rocking spurs and belt buckles. As a child, she worked the local fair circuit, covering hits from country stars like Garth Brooks and fellow Canadian Shania Twain. But it wasn’t all covers. She penned her first song “Can’t Stop Thinking About You”—puppy love lyrics she later dismissed as “cheesy cute”.
But she had a sportier side, too.
Breno Galtier, Wikimedia Commons
6. She Was The Real “SK8er” Boy
When Lavigne wasn’t holding a guitar, she was holding a hockey stick. All through high school, the future pop-punk princess owned the ice as a right winger on her team in the local hockey league. And it was no rookie league either. Lavigne skated right alongside the boys, slapping and chirping her way to the MVP trophy not once but twice.
Still, the stage was where she shined brightest.
7. She Shared Shania’s Stage
At 14, Lavigne got a small taste of her future stardom. After winning a radio contest in 1999, she found herself onstage beside Shania Twain at Ottawa’s Corel Centre in front of an audience of 20,000 people. Lavigne harmonized with Twain on “What Made You Say That”, wowing the country star and affirming that she, too, dreamed of becoming “a famous singer”.
She was closer to that dream than she knew.
8. She Caught A Folksinger’s Ear
When Lavigne performed at the Lennox Community Theatre, her audience was not 20,000. But it didn’t need to be. Local folksinger Stephen Medd happened to be in the audience and was so impressed with Lavigne that he invited her to add vocals to his 1999 song “Touch the Sky”. The following year he had her lend her vocals to two more tracks—“Temple of Life” and “Two Rivers”—on his album My Window to You.
Her next “chapter” was about to begin.
Mari Duarte, Wikimedia Commons
9. Her Next “Chapter” Began In Chapters
Lavigne’s big break unfolded between the shelves of a Chapters bookstore in Kingston, Ontario. In December of 1999, she was singing covers of country standards at the bookstore when Cliff Fabri, a music manager, overheard her between the aisles. He knew immediately: he had found a star. Fabri shipped Lavigne’s tapes to anyone in the industry willing to hit play.
One of those tapes ended up in exactly the right hands.
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10. She Went To The Big Apple
Lavigne’s karaoke tapes, recorded in her parents’ basement studio, landed in the hands of Mark Jowett, co-founder of the Canadian outfit Nettwerk. Jowett was impressed—and he knew exactly what to do. He paired Lavigne with a New York music producer, Peter Zizzo, over the summer of 2000 where she wrote a track called “Why”.
She would soon be singing, “How much?”
Photography by Glenn Francis
Derivative by Keraunoscopia, Wikimedia Commons
11. She Made Millions At 16
The music industry paid Lavigne millions before she even sold an album. In November of 2000, Arista Records chief Antonio “LA” Reid sat in on a 15-minute audition at producer Zizzo’s Manhattan studio. Less than half an hour later, Reid signed the 16-year-old Lavigne for a two-album deal and handed her a cheque for $1.25 million…plus a $900,000 publishing advance.
She was too cool for school.
12. She Quit School For Stardom
With a record deal to her name and a fat stack of cash in her pocket, Lavigne didn’t need school anymore. With her parents’ support, the budding pop-punk princess dropped out of school to commit herself to her music full-time. Jowett, Lavigne’s manager, got her a band as steeped in her punk-rock Canadiana style as she was.
Then things got…complicated.
13. She Made It “Complicated”
Lavigne wasted no time getting into the recording studio. By spring of 2001, she had recorded a song called “Complicated” with a production trio called the Matrix. That quickly snowballed into her debut album, Let Go, which hit the shelves in June of 2002. And the success was immediate. Let Go rocketed to number two on the US Billboard 200.
The pop-punk princess had earned her crown.
Rosa Casapullo, Wikimedia Commons
14. She Topped The Charts At 17
Lavigne’s debut album continued dominating the charts. Let Go seized the number one spot in Australia, Canada, and the UK—and at just 17, Lavigne became the youngest female solo act ever to top the UK Albums Chart. By 2009, the record had moved north of 16 million copies, making it the best-selling album of the 21st century by any Canadian artist.
This princess’ domain? Every chart from the US to Australia and back again.
15. Her Hits Made History
Lavigne proved that she would not be a one-hit wonder. After “Complicated” topped the charts across the world, Lavigne released “Sk8er Boi” and “I’m with You” which both cracked the American top 10. Lavigne became only the second artist in history to score three top-10 hits off a debut album on Billboard’s Mainstream Top 40.
Naturally, the trophies came next.
Music video for Sk8er Boi, Arista Records / Sony Music Entertainment (2002)
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16. Her Trophy Shelf Filled Fast
As if the charts weren’t enough, Lavigne conquered the awards, too. “Complicated” earned her Best New Artist at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, and the following year she scooped up four Juno Awards out of six nods, plus a World Music Award as the “World’s Bestselling Canadian Singer”. The Grammys were next, handing her eight nominations—Best New Artist and Song of the Year included.
Her debut was done—her reign had just begun.
17. Her Music Went Under The Skin
With one mega hit of an album to her name, Lavigne could have skated off into the sunset. Instead, she released her second album, Under My Skin. Landing in May 2004, her follow-up album stormed straight to number one in Australia, Canada, Japan, the UK, and the US and sold more than 10 million copies. And this time, Lavigne made sure it would be an all-Canadian affair.
Screenshot from Under My Skin, Arista Records / RCA Records / Sony Music Entertainment (2004)
18. She Teamed Up With Another Canadian Icon
Lavigne had found success in the US—recording in Los Angeles and New York. But she never forgot her Canadian roots. For Under My Skin, Lavigne teamed up with fellow Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk to write most of the songs. Kreviazuk’s husband, Raine Maida of Our Lady Peace fame, even stepped in to produce.
Their partnership wasn’t always sweet as maple syrup though.
Mykola Swarnyk, Wikimedia Commons
19. Her Cowriter Turned On Her
“Avril doesn’t really sit and write songs by herself or anything”. That was the jab Kreviazuk lobbed at her former collaborator in 2007, accusing Lavigne of leaning on others to pen her catchy tunes. Lavigne, however, refused to take the insult lying down. She denied Kreviazuk’s claims outright and even floated taking legal action over what she branded “clear defamation”.
It looked like a frosty Canadian winter had settled over their friendship.
Justin Higuchi from Los Angeles, CA, USA, Wikimedia Commons
20. Her Accuser Backed Down
Kreviazuk changed her tune almost as quickly as Avril Lavigne changed her hair dye. Before the feud could spiral any further, Kreviazuk walked the whole accusation back. “Avril is an accomplished songwriter and it has been my privilege to work with her,” Kreviazuk conceded. Lavigne then proved her songwriting skills by writing a chart-topping hit for another singer.
Luuk Denekamp, Wikimedia Commons
21. She Wrote A Hit For Clarkson
Some of Lavigne’s best songwriting work never landed on a Lavigne album at all. A little-known fact is that Lavigne co-wrote Kelly Clarkson’s hit song “Breakaway”. The track surfaced on the soundtrack to The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement before becoming the title track of Clarkson’s second album. Lavigne only claimed the song as her own years later, slipping it onto the 20th-anniversary edition of Let Go in 2022.
Still, the songwriting feuds continued.
Breakaway, RCA Records / Sony Music Entertainment (2004)
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22. Her “Girlfriend” Landed In Court
Kreviazuk wasn’t the only artist to take aim at Avril Lavigne. Tommy Dunbar of the band the Rubinoos dragged Lavigne, her publishing company, and her producer to court, claiming her smash “Girlfriend” was just a rip-off of his band’s “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend”. Lavigne denied the allegations but settled the matter out of court anyway.
She wanted to be an actual “Girlfriend”.
Screenshot from Girlfriend, RCA Records / Sony Music Entertainment (2007)
23. She Found Her First Prince
In 2005, the pop-punk princess found her pop-punk prince. Lavigne had known Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley since she was 17, but the two didn’t start dating until she turned 19. Then, in the summer of 2005, Whibley popped the question on a surprise getaway to Venice. The following summer, they made it official in front of 110 guests.
It had all the makings of a punk rock fairytale.
24. She Took The Olympic Stage
In February of 2006, Avril Lavigne got to perform somewhere that most artists never even have the privilege of attending. Lavigne took to the stage at the Turin Winter Olympics’ closing ceremony representing Canada. She then reprised the honor at Vancouver’s closing ceremony in 2010. Add her headlining set at the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and she became the only artist ever to grace three separate multi-sport events.
Her reign on the charts, meanwhile, was far from over.
25. She Made Her Best Thing Yet
Two albums deep, Lavigne showed zero signs of slowing. Her third record, The Best Damn Thing, stormed to number one on the US Billboard 200 in April 2007 and topped the charts in seven countries. The album’s lead cut, “Girlfriend,” handed her a first chart-topper on the Hot 100 and was crowned the planet’s most-downloaded track of 2007.
All that success came with an eye-watering payday.
Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
26. She Was A Top Earner
By 2007, Lavigne wasn’t just famous—she was flush. That December, Forbes ranked her eighth on its “Top 20 Earners Under 25,” crediting her with a cool $12 million for the year. Her hit “Girlfriend” continued rewriting the record books, too, becoming the first-ever YouTube clip to rack up 100 million views. From there, her reign only grew bigger.
Screenshot from Girlfriend, RCA Records / Sony Music Entertainment (2007)
27. She Branched Into Fashion And Fragrance
As the undisputed “Pop-Punk Princess,” Avril Lavigne set her sights on her next realm: business. In 2008, she launched her clothing label, Abbey Dawn, then uncorked her debut fragrance, Black Star, in 2009. More scents followed fast—Forbidden Rose in 2010, Wild Rose in 2011—while Abbey Dawn hit the runway at New York Fashion Week in both 2009 and 2011.
Behind the booming brand, though, her marriage was quietly coming apart.
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28. Her Fairytale Hit The Rocks
Punk rock fairytales, it turned out, didn’t always have happy endings. In October 2009, Lavigne pulled the plug, filing for divorce from Whibley on the grounds of “irreconcilable differences”. By November 2010, the divorce was official—and civil. The courts let Lavigne and Whibley hold onto their respective musical empires—guitars, awards, song catalogues, and all.
She wouldn’t stay single for long.
29. She Dated A Reality TV Star
Avril Lavigne rebounded from her divorce faster than she could tune a guitar. Not long after splitting from Whibley, she struck up a romance with reality TV star Brody Jenner. The couple lasted roughly two years, starting to date in 2010, and got serious enough to have each other’s names permanently tattooed on their bodies. Unlike the ink, however, the spark faded by 2012.
Music was her only constant partner.
30. Her Fourth Album Won Acclaim
Through all of her romantic turbulence, Lavigne never stopped singing. Her fourth studio album, Goodbye Lullaby, landed in March 2011, fronted by the single “What the Hell”. The album made a splash, earning Juno Award nominations for both Album of the Year and Pop Album of the Year. Her next record, however, came with a different kind of award.
Screenshot from Goodbye Lullaby, RCA Records / Sony Music Entertainment (2011)
31. She Found Her Next Prince
While recording her fifth album, Avril Lavigne crossed paths with Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger. Romance filled the recording studio as much as guitar riffs, and by August of 2012, the couple had announced their engagement. Later that summer, they tied the knot at Château de la Napoule—a medieval fortress dating to the 14th century, perched near Cannes on France’s southern coast.
It was a wedding fit for a queen.
32. Her Wedding Was A Destination Event
Lavigne’s wedding turned into a pop-punk party for music royalty. “I wanted to make sure it’s a crazy vacation and an experience of a lifetime for our guests,” she later said of the wedding ceremony. “I wanted it to be over the top. I’m obsessed with castles and I love French décor and goth…I found this castle in France and we visited it and it was perfect”.
True to her word, she took the theme all the way.
Freaktheclown, Wikimedia Commons
33. She Wore Black To The Altar
Avril Lavigne took the theme of her own wedding seriously. So seriously that she ditched the traditional wedding gown. Embracing her inner goth, Lavigne walked down a candlelit aisle in a black tulle gown by Monique Lhuillier. In her hands? A bouquet of black roses to match. The gothic fairytale she’d promised had come to life in full.
Married life, though, didn’t keep her out of the studio for long.
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34. She Put Her Name On It
Her fifth album carried a single name: her own. Lavigne released the self-titled Avril Lavigne in November 2013, and it was her most personal album to date. The third single, “Let Me Go,” featured her new husband Chad Kroeger on vocals. Back home, the record went gold in Canada and earned a Juno nomination for Pop Album of the Year.
Then her life changed forever.
Screenshot from Let Me Go, Epic Records / Sony Music Entertainment (2013)
35. She Couldn’t Get Out Of Bed
In the spring of 2014, a single bug bite nearly ended Lavigne’s career—and life. As Lavigne herself later recalled, she believes that a bite from a tick left her with a terrible disease, unleashing night sweats, flu-like symptoms, and five months trapped in bed. Doctors waved her off, guessing at everything from chronic fatigue syndrome to depression.
“I had no idea a bug bite could do this,” she told People. It only got worse from there.
Yun Jie Dai, Wikimedia Commons
36. She Finally Had A Diagnosis
It took until 2015 for doctors to name what was ailing Avril Lavigne: Lyme disease. In her first television interview about the ordeal, on Good Morning America, Lavigne walked her fans through the ordeal—the misdiagnoses, the calls for her to “just go play the piano”. At her lowest moment, she confessed that she could feel her “body shutting down” and was ready to meet her end.
It wouldn’t be that easy to take her crown, though.
37. She Returned To The Stage
After more than a year in the shadows struggling through her recovery, Lavigne stepped back into the spotlight. In April 2015, she unveiled a new single, “Fly,” tied to the Special Olympics World Summer Games. That July, she headlined the Games’ opening ceremony—her first performance onstage since her Lyme disease diagnosis had sidelined her.
Her comeback, sadly, arrived just as her marriage was slipping away.
38. She Was Best Friends With Her Ex-Husband
For Avril Lavigne, the second time was not the charm. In September of 2015, Lavigne and Kroeger broke the news of their split on Instagram. “It is with heavy heart that Chad and I announce our separation today,” she wrote, vowing the two would “forever…be the best of friends”. Out of all that heartache, though, came some of her most powerful music.
Thakingdome, Wikimedia Commons
39. She Turned Sickness Into Song
Even as Lyme disease ravaged her body, Lavigne kept writing. She penned the single “Head Above Water” from her sickbed, pouring her Lyme disease battle straight into every lyric. In a raw open letter to fans, she called that stretch “the worst years of [her life]” and “the battle of a lifetime”. But she came out the other end stronger than ever before.
Screenshot from Head Above Water, BMG Rights Management (2018)
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40. She Fought Disease Through Her Foundation
Lavigne’s fight against Lyme disease didn’t end with her own recovery. Going back to 2010, Lavigne had founded The Avril Lavigne Foundation—originally built to support young people with disabilities and special needs. After her brush with Lyme disease, however, she widened its mission to take the illness on directly—bankrolling prevention, treatment grants, and research.
Soon, she’d carry that fight to the highest levels.
41. She Took A Board Seat
By 2018, Avril Lavigne had become a genuine force in the fight against Lyme disease. She joined the Board of Directors of the Global Lyme Alliance, cementing a partnership between the group and her own foundation. By then, the Avril Lavigne Foundation had already funneled more than $175,000 into helping children fight the terrible condition.
With her health on the mend, new music was waiting in the wings.
João Bicalho from Belo Horizonte, Brasil, Wikimedia Commons
42. She Kept Her Head Above Water
Lavigne capped off her Lyme disease recovery in February 2019 with the release of her sixth album, Head Above Water. Her tale of sickness and recovery resonated with audiences worldwide, cracking the top 10 in eight countries—from Australia to Japan to the UK—and climbing to number 13 on the US Billboard 200. Soon, she’d aim that fighting spirit at a far bigger crisis.
Screenshot from Head Above Water, BMG Rights Management (2018)
43. She Sang For Warriors
When the world locked down, Avril Lavigne found a way to speak up. In April 2020, she reworked “Warrior,” a track off Head Above Water, into a new version called “We Are Warriors”. This time, every dollar went to Project HOPE and its work battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Her next chapter would bring a fresh collaborator—and a fresh romance.
Screenshot from We Are Warriors, BMG Rights Management (2020)
44. She Sparked A New Romance
A studio session in early 2021 gave rise to more than another hit single. On January 8, Lavigne dropped “Flames,” a collaboration with musician Mod Sun. The two had met that same month while making music, and the partnership quickly spilled over into romance. Within weeks, they officially started dating. The “flames” of their love burned hot—and fast.
Sarasimplephotography, Wikimedia Commons
45. She Blinked…182
In late 2021, Lavigne went right back to her pop-punk roots. On November 3, she announced a deal with Blink 182’s Travis Barker under his label, DTA Records. She unveiled the single “Bite Me” a week later and released her seventh album, Love Sux—much of it written and produced by Mod Sun. The album was another hit, cracking the top 10 on the Billboard 200.
Off the charts, her romance with Mod Sun was racing toward the altar.
Screenshot from Bite Me, DTA Records / Elektra Records (2022)
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46. She Got Engaged In Paris
Lavigne’s punk-rock fairytale seemed to be repeating itself. In April of 2022, Mod Sun proposed to Lavigne in Paris, the city of romance itself. But the storybook ending never came. By February of 2023, multiple outlets reported that Lavigne had called the engagement off. Mod Sun’s representative, however, scrambled to deny it.
The truth would soon come out.
47. Her Ex Became A Stranger
Mod Sun’s representative insisted that he and Avril Lavigne were still an item: “They were together and engaged as of three days ago when Mod left for tour so if anything has changed that's news to him”. However, that July, Mod Sun released the track “Strangers,” clearly taking aim at Lavigne and even filming parts of the video for the breakup song in the spot where he had proposed to her.
Lavigne, meanwhile, had already moved on—and made headlines doing it.
Screenshot from Strangers, New Hippys / Big Noise (2023)
48. She Was Linked To A Rapper
Lavigne moved on from Mod Sun by ditching the pop-punk scene altogether. Just weeks after their split, starting in February of 2023, tabloids linked Lavigne to rapper Tyga. The following month, the couple confirmed the rumors. However, by the summer, the pair had split and Lavigne said that “the romance just ran its course”.
Even without a prince, however, the princess of pop-punk reigned supreme.
Frank Schwichtenberg, Wikimedia Commons
49. She Joined The Order
In 2024, Lavigne’s home country of Canada handed her its highest honor. Governor General Mary Simon inducted her into the Order of Canada alongside other Canadian music legends like Shania Twain and Neil Young. The citation hailed Lavigne as “one of the best-selling female artists of all time” who “paved the way for female-driven punk-rock music”.
Two decades of hits—and she wasn’t done yet.
Justin Higuchi from Los Angeles, CA, USA, Wikimedia Commons
50. She Released Her Greatest Hits
More than 20 years after she first burst onto the scene, Lavigne finally took a victory lap. On June 21, 2024, she put out her first-ever Greatest Hits collection, packing in 20 career-spanning tracks. She backed it up with the Greatest Hits Tour, selling out venue after venue. One stop on that run would become the stuff of legend.
Julia Stavale, Wikimedia Commons
51. She Conquered Glastonbury
Despite being a headliner for more than 20 years, it took Lavigne until 2024 to make it to the iconic Glastonbury Festival. But her debut was unlike any other. When she took the festival’s Other Stage, she pulled an audience estimated at 70,000 people—one of the largest crowds the stage had ever seen. The turnout swelled so dramatically that organizers had to fence off part of the field for safety.
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52. She Reunited With Old Friends
In 2025, Lavigne took a trip down memory lane. On May 9, she released “Young & Dumb,” teaming up with fellow pop-punk staples Simple Plan. The two acts went way back—they’d first toured together on Lavigne’s Try to Shut Me Up Tour across 2002 and 2003, the very memories that inspired the new song. By then, her career numbers had reached staggering heights.
Screenshot from Young & Dumb, Big Noise Music Group (2025)
53. She Sold Tens Of Millions
The numbers tell their own story. Across her career, Lavigne has moved more than 30 million singles and 40 million albums around the world. Billboard crowned her the number 10 pop artist of the entire 2000s back in 2009, then ranked her number 19 on its 2025 list of the “Top Women Artists of the 21st Century”.
That is, if Lavigne was even still alive…
54. She Might Be An Imposter
In a strange twist to Avril Lavigne’s still-growing legacy, the wildest corners of the internet cooked up a pop-punk plot unlike any other. According to the conspiracy—which even has it's own Wikipedia page—Lavigne secretly passed on in 2003, and was swapped for a body double who has been living as her ever since. Lavigne has only ever laughed off the funny conspiracy. “Yeah, some people think that I’m not the real me, which is so weird!”
Real or not, the pop-punk princess has reigned far too long to be anyone’s imposter.
Breno Galtier, Wikimedia Commons
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