Avril Lavigne

Avril Ramona Lavigne (born September 27 1984) is a Canadian pop punk singer-songwriter who is well-known for her "skater punk" persona.

Let Go — career breakthrough

Apparently, early attempts to co-write songs for her failed to meet her approval, and she eventually moved to Los Angeles, California and co-wrote her album with Clif Magness and songwriting team The Matrix, whose previous work included songs for Sheena Easton and Christina Aguilera. Her first album, Let Go, was released by Arista on June 4 2002, and was certified "Quadruple Platinum" less than six months later by the Recording Industry Association of America. She was named "Best New Artist" at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards and at the 2003 Juno Awards, where she led all musicians with six nominations, winning four Junos. She also has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards but has not won any to date.

Related Topics:
Los Angeles, California - The Matrix - Sheena Easton - Christina Aguilera - Let Go - June 4 - 2002 - Recording Industry Association of America - MTV Video Music Awards - 2003 - Juno Award - Grammy Awards

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By December 2004, Let Go had sold fifteen million albums and reached the number one spot in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom (At that time, Lavigne was the youngest female solo act ever to have a number one album in the UK charts, a record now held by Joss Stone). Let Go also peaked at number two in the United States.

Related Topics:
2004 - Australia - Canada - United Kingdom - UK - Joss Stone - United States

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It is sometimes claimed she is the youngest Canadian to ever sell a million copies in her homeland; however that record is held by Ottawa-born crooner Paul Anka. His single, "Diana", was recorded when he was only sixteen, and is still regarded as the fastest selling 45rpm single in history.

Related Topics:
Ottawa - Paul Anka

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Let Go was the source of four hit singles (the first three with the Matrix), in various parts of the world:

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• "Complicated" went to number one on the U.S. adult charts and in Australia while reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100;
• "Sk8er Boi" went top ten in the U.S. and Australia and number one in Canada;
• "I'm with You" reached number one on the U.S. and world adult charts (based on the U.S., UK, Canada, Germany, France, and Australia), and number four on the Billboard Hot 100;
• "Losing Grip" reached number one in Canada, number ten in Taiwan, number twenty in Chile, and the top fifty on a composite European chart.

"Weird Al" Yankovic did a parody of "Complicated" on his Poodle Hat album called "A Complicated Song" — a sure sign of her impact on popular culture.

Related Topics:
"Weird Al" Yankovic - Poodle Hat

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The media has often compared her to Alanis Morissette, though she has been criticized for not being as strong a lyricist as Morissette at the same age. She has also often been compared with singers like Vanessa Carlton and Michelle Branch, who emerged at about the same time and were popularly credited, with Lavigne, as part of a trend towards more earnestness and genuine creativity in an often vacuous and pre-fabricated teen pop music market.

Related Topics:
Alanis Morissette - Vanessa Carlton - Michelle Branch

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While her marketing has been every bit as sophisticated as, for instance, that of Britney Spears and her competitors, a profile in the Washington Post found that in the flesh, her personality did not reflect the marketing, and instead found her, if anything, something of a wide-eyed innocent, citing the fact that she was intending to purchase her first Ramones CD. In another interview, she listed her current listening tastes as including Blink 182, Sum 41, and System of a Down. Lavigne is currently engaged to Deryck Whibley of Sum 41 and hired a former member of that band Mark Spicoluk as a member of her backing band.

Related Topics:
Britney Spears - Washington Post - Ramones - CD - Blink 182 - Sum 41 - System of a Down - Deryck Whibley - Mark Spicoluk

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She describes her first album as a pop album with "a couple of rock songs on it", and has indicated a desire to write more rock-oriented songs in the future.

Related Topics:
Pop - Rock

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