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Avril Lavigne

Avril Lavigne is a girl who knows what she wants. And when it came to writing her eagerly awaited third album, The Best Damn Thing, she had one very clear goal in mind: To make it fun. While touring in 2004 for her last album, Under My Skin, which sold more than 8 million copies worldwide, the Canadian-born punk-pop dynamo found that her favorite songs to play were the faster, more up-tempo songs—so she resolved to make a record that captured the kind of high-spirited, full-throttle energy that she loved to unleash on-stage.

The Best Damn Thing is brimming with gutsy guitar riffs, instantaneously catchy sing-along party-starting choruses, power pop punk, and rebellious rock ’n’ roll attitude. It’s a marked departure from the darker, more introspective tone of Under My Skin—and on tracks such as the defiant, riotous, kiss-off-to-a-cheating-boyfriend “Everything Back But You,” Avril took pleasure in creating scenarios for her lyrics that weren’t, as she says, “straight out of my diary.” The result is a collection of songs that reveal just how far she’s evolved as a songwriter and singer, from the sassy, empowering “I Can Do Better” (one of Avril’s personal favorites) to the irrepressible first single “Girlfriend”—which unexpectedly combines a hip-hop beat with beefy power chords, hand-claps, and a chanted girl-group-style chorus with a punk rock twist—to the emotional ballad “Keep Holding On,” which she wrote at the request of 20th Century Fox for the studio’s fantasy/adventure film Eragon.

As an artist with a keen and well-trained ear for powerful, magnetic pop melodies, Avril was intensely involved in every aspect of The Best Damn Thing’s creation: From being fiercely independent while writing her own songs (“I didn’t have an A&R guy on this record,” she emphasizes. “I knew exactly how I wanted it to sound”), to choosing her producers and musical collaborators, to obsessively going back and tweaking guitar tones and drumbeats in the studio, she worked hard to ensure that it would be her best record yet.

The album features the production skills of Butch Walker (who has also produced The Donnas, American Hi-Fi, and Avril’s second album, Under My Skin), Dr. Luke (Pink, Lady Sovereign), Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Goo Goo Dolls), and her husband Deryck Whibley (from Sum 41). The process turned out to be a blast: “I didn’t know making a record could be so fun,” she says. She was eager to work with her good friend Butch again, as she says, “What’s great about Butch is that he’s a talented artist as well as being an incredible producer.” And about collaborating with Dr. Luke, she adds, “Luke and I had a really good connection and chemistry.” The relaxed atmosphere in the studio comes across in the songs themselves—Avril’s laughter rings out in “I Can Do Better,” and in “Girlfriend” you can hear her, she says, “playing a beer bottle” (by blowing into it) in the last few choruses.

Four of the songs on The Best Damn Thing—“Innocence,” “Hot, “One of Those Girls,” and “Contagious”—were co-written with Avril’s former bandmate Evan Taubenfeld. “Evan is one of my best friends in the world,” she says, affectionately. “He’s been with me since day one”. Of course, all of the spiky, buoyant energy that drives the album will come to life in the live show that Avril is planning for her tour later this year—she has assembled a new band, and is even bringing along two dancers (“I’m doing choreographed dancing for the first time ever,” she grins. “It’s going to be such a blast”).

A great deal has happened in Avril Lavigne’s life since she released her debut album, Let Go, in 2002, when she was 17 years old. That album snagged 8 Grammy nominations and four Juno Awards (including Album of the Year and New Artist of the Year), spawned the anthemic hit singles “Complicated,” “Sk8ter Boy,” and “I’m With You,” and sold more than 16 million copies world-wide. Under My Skin cemented the Napanee, Ontario native’s superstardom, entering U.S., Canadian, and U.K. charts at 1, unleashing smash singles “Don’t Tell Me” and “My Happy Ending,” and collecting three more Juno Awards along the way.

In 2006, Avril married Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley and branched out into acting, appearing in Richard Linklater’s Fast Food Nation and lending her voice to Dreamworks’ animated film Over the Hedge.

She may be a bit more sophisticated these days, but she’s still peerless, and still fearless. The Best Damn Thing is Avril Lavigne at a new stage in her life; she’s passed through the shadows of teen angst and emerged in a spotlight, ready to have fun and rock out and yes, even dance. It is, just as she intended, the best damn thing she’s ever done.

Latest bulletin 08.13.09

North America Black Star Fragrance Launch!

Hi Everyone!

I'm so excited to let you know that my first fragrance, Black Star is finally going to be available in North America. For those of...

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North America Black Star Fragrance Launch! Aug 13
Behind-the-Scenes at the Black Star TV Shoot Jul 3
Black Star Fragrance Launch Jul 1

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Aug 13, 06:32 PM

North America Black Star Fragrance Launch!

Hi Everyone!

I'm so excited to let you know that my first fragrance, Black Star is finally going to be available in North America. For those of you in the US, check out Black Star at Kohls and for those in Canada you can find it in a month at Shoppers Drugmart stores.

Avril xo
Jul 03, 08:26 PM

Behind-the-Scenes at the Black Star TV Shoot

Behind-the-Scenes at the Black Star TV Shoot

I think the TV commercial captured the edginess and fun of Black Star and made the commercial something I am really proud to share with everyone.

I wore pink and black with studded accessories. I think wearing my own stuff and staying true to my style is a huge part of what makes me who I am.

I had a lot of fun in this commercial, which can be seen HERE. I hope you like it. I hope you like it.

Avril
Jul 01, 09:33 PM

Black Star Fragrance Launch

Hey Everyone!

I'm excited to let you know that my 1st fragrance has officially launched today in Europe. Check it out in stores.

For those of you based in the US, Canada or the UK it will be just a few more weeks.

In the mean time, everyone can check out the new Black Star website: www.avril-lavigne-perfumes.com

Avril
Jun 29, 07:08 PM

Finding the Perfect Black Star Packaging

Creating the packaging and bottling for Black Star was very exciting for me. I really love combinations like pink and black and fun accessories like stars and studs. And so this is what you will see in my perfume bottle. The studded ring you see on the bottle is actually a removable ring, which you can wear or hang around a necklace. The box was inspired by my studded bracelets and belts.

To get a first look at the packaging and bottle take this code 4il25 and enter it HERE
Jun 27, 12:17 PM

Behind-the-Scenes of My First Fragrance

Hopefully you all saw my post about the launch of my first fragrance Black Star. Creating this fragrance was a lot of fun. We started on this project about 2 years ago. To be honest, I never imagined that it would take so long to develop. It has been a very different experience from designing my clothing line, Abbey Dawn or from writing and recording a record. We worked with really cool and different ingredients.

To get a first look at the website take this code 4il25 and enter it HERE
Jun 24, 10:38 AM

New Perfumes

Hey everyone!

My first fragrance is going to be released soon. I want you guys to check it out first.
Just take this code 4il25 and enter it on www.avril-lavigne-perfumes.com. It will let you in to the secret world of Black Star. Be sure to register because the code, on its own, is only good for entering the site. Once you're registered, you can collect Black Star points and win some cool prizes and maybe we will get a chance to meet.
Love,
Avril
Oct 09 2008, 01:03 PM

Tickets Still Available!!

Hey Guys,

Tickets are still available at 1545 Wilcox Ave, Suite 200, Hollywood, California, 90028 but won't be for long!

Don't miss out!
Oct 01 2008, 02:22 PM

Free Avril Show Announced!

Head over to my website and find out all the details! I hope to see you there!
Sep 09 2008, 12:10 PM

The Best Damn Tour DVD - Out Now!

Recorded April 7th, 2008 in Toronto, 'The Best Damn Tour' documents Avril Lavigne's triumphant 2008 North American tour. Order your copy of the DVD on Amazon, available NOW!

Avril delivers electrifying live performances of all her smash hits including:

- "Girlfriend"
- "When You're Gone"
- "Hot"
- "Complicated"
- "Innocent"
- "My Happy Ending"
- "Sk8r Boi"

Our friends at imeem, Myspace, and YouTube are showing some special love to the DVD with exclusive sneak peaks into The Best Damn Tour.

Click here to check out "Girlfriend" from the Best Damn Tour on Imeem

Click here to check out "When You're Gone" from the Best Damn Tour on Myspace

Click here to check out "Sk8er Boi" from the Best Damn Tour on YouTube
Aug 08 2008, 10:45 AM

Want To Open For Avril Lavigne?

Avril Lavigne The Best Damn Tour Unsigned Band Search

Get signed to SonyBMG and open for Avril in China!

Avril is looking for an opening band. Think you got what it takes?

Create a profile on Trig dot com

Upload your music and photos

Tell your friends and fans to Trig you and your music

Artists in China with the most Trigs will get a chance to open for Avril's tour and get a record deal with SonyBMG

English Version

www.trig.com/avrillavigne

Video Link: http://trig.com/swf/contest_mediaplayer_english.swf

Chinese Version:

艾薇儿拉维尼最棒巡回演出民间乐队大搜索

www.trig.com/avrillavigne

Video Link: http://trig.com/swf/contest_mediaplayer_chinese.swf

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Avril Lavigne

Latest bulletin 08.13.09

Blog posts

Link to this artist page

Blog posts