I was an angsty young teen, deep in the trenches of nu-metal and alternative rock, when my older sister brought home a copy of Avril Lavigne’s debut album “Let Go.” Naturally, I was skeptical of this much-hyped teenage pop prodigy, whose music was suddenly everywhere.
But despite my best efforts, I found myself drawn to Lavigne’s music, pressing my ear against the wall between my room and my sister’s, trying to sneak a listen to earworms like “Complicated” or “Sk8er Boi,” punchy songs that expertly combined crunchy guitars and sticky pop-punk hooks, delivered with a subtle country twang. The music was wholesome, sure, but there was also an edge to it — the soaring power ballad “I’m With You” contained a tangible rawness and emotional depth that felt like an oasis amid the arid soundscape of Y2K pop music; a soundscape saturated by bland hits by the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears and Smash Mouth.
“Let Go,” which was released when Lavigne was just 17, was a monster commercial success — the album went 7x platinum in the United States and sold 16 million copies worldwide, making it the best selling album of the 21st century by a Canadian artist.
It wasn’t just her emo pop-punk sound. Lavigne’s style — skater shoes, baggy shorts, necktie, heavy eyeliner — had an immediate impact on pop culture. She spawned a cluster of imitators, from Fefe Dobson to Hilary Duff, and helped pave the way for a wave of popular pop-punk bands like Simple Plan and Good Charlotte. Though I stuck to Led Zeppelin T-shirts, my sister’s wardrobe was transformed into an Avril shrine (to this day it has not recovered).
On Thursday, some 22 years after the release of “Let Go,” Lavigne, now 39, was appointed to the Order of Canada, an honour that recognizes Canadians who have made significant contributions to the country. She joins the ranks of other Canadian musical royalty like Shania Twain and k.d. lang.
Of course, Lavigne’s career did not begin or end with “Let Go.”
Born in Napanee, Ont. in 1984, Lavigne grew up performing at country fairs across the province. In 1999, she won a radio contest to perform alongside Shania Twain at the Corel Centre in Ottawa — the duo performed Twain’s song, “What Made You Say That,” in front of some 20,000 people.
By 2003, Lavigne had already won four Junos, and was nominated for eight Grammy awards.
On her sophomore album, “Under My Skin” (2004), Lavigne adopted a darker and heavier sound, pivoting away from pop-punk towards the alt-rock/post-grunge sound of bands like Evanescence and Nickelback. Though less of a juggernaut than “Let Go,” the album still topped the charts in Canada and the U.S., and sold over 10 million copies worldwide.
She’d pivot again on her third album, “The Best Damn Thing” (2007), shedding the heavy guitars and brooding rock ballads for a sparkling collection of pop-rock songs geared for radio play, including the ubiquitous (and, to my ears, grating) “Girlfriend,” which became Lavigne’s first No. 1 song in the United States.
Lavigne’s subsequent releases — including “Goodbye Lullaby” (2011), which explored the fallout of her relationship with Sum-41 frontman Deryck Whibley — found moderate success, though her cultural impact began to wane.
In 2014, just after turning 30, she was diagnosed with Lyme disease, a serious, tick-borne illness. “I was “I was in bed for f–—king two years,” she later told Billboard.
Following a five-year hiatus, during which Lavigne filed from divorce from Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger (the couple were dubbed “Chavril”), she returned with “Head Above Water” (2019). Though the album, which drew inspiration from her battle with Lyme disease, received decidedly mixed reviews, it marked the beginning of the Lavignaissance — a term I just made up to describe an ongoing period characterized by a renewed appreciation of Lavinge’s oeuvre, and what feels like a significant re-emergence of the style she introduced nearly a quarter century ago.
See, for example, the meteoric success of American singer Olivia Rodrigo, whose chart-topping debut “Sour” is heavily-indebted to Lavigne’s early music. Or, check out this cover of “I’m With You” by indie rock artists Soccer Mommy and Snail Mail.”
In 2022, Lavigne hosted the Juno Awards, performing a medley of her greatest hits. Throughout the event, which felt like a victory lap, a number of artists described Lavigne’s influence. Last December, Lavigne was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame.
“It was monumentally important for us to see a cool woman playing incredible rock music,” Jordan Miller, the lead singer and bassist for Toronto rock band The Beaches told the Canadian Press after meeting Lavigne on the Junos red carpet. “For her to be a local Canadian girl, it (meant) we can do what she does, and she’s one of the reasons why we’re here tonight.”
Upon hearing the news of Lavigne’s induction into the Order of Canada, singer-songwriter Michaela Slinger told the Star she was transported back in time, “laying in bed, blasting ‘When You’re Gone’ on my iPod nano.”
“Avril accompanied me through what might be the most vicious time of all: being a tween girl in middle school,” she said. “She resonated because her music mirrored the often conflicting emotional firestorm I was experiencing. Newfound yearning and desire (‘Hot’), jealousy and social jockeying (‘The Best Damn Thing’ and ‘Girlfriend’), anger and frustration (‘Complicated’), deep longing and loneliness (‘When You’re Gone’ and ‘’Keep Holding On’).”
My sister still shares that opinion. Last month, she pulled out the necktie and rock-star eyeliner to attend Lavigne’s “Greatest Hits” show at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. “Best show I’ve seen in years,” she texted me.
Avril Lavigne will play Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Aug 12, and Budweiser Stage in Toronto on Aug. 16.
