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Anything but ordinary. That’s one way to describe Avril Lavigne. A skater-punk, a dynamic spirit, a wild child who started wowing people with her voice at age 2. A small-town kid who couldn’t sit still in class but had the confidence to take off for New York City and Los Angeles to hone her songwriting skills. An upfront 17-year-old determined to reach stardom - on her own terms. I’m just coming out and I’m going to clearly be myself - I write what I feel, and I never worry what others think, Avril says. I’m gonna dress what’s me, I’m gonna act what’s me and I’m gonna sing what’s me. Avril does exactly that on her debut CD, Let Go, which combines sassy vocals, a crystal-clear voice and real-girl lyrical style. Anything But Ordinary is a rockin’ ode to individuality, while the guitar-driven first single, Complicated, is a simple song that kicks pretenders to the curb. The string-inflected I’m With You reflects Avril’s mellow side, while tracks like Losing Grip and Unwanted confront rejection and betrayal. Finally, My World and the metaphoric Mobile perfectly articulate the singer’s suddenly-hectic life. I have this awesome opportunity to fulfill my dream. I am all over the place, flying here and there, going through different stuff everyday, she explains. This is my lifestyle, but I wouldn’t want a normal life or I’d get bored. Apparently, Avril was born for such insanity. A middle child who always wanted to be the center of attention, she was bound to bust out of Napanee, Ontario (population 5,000). I always knew this was what I had to do, she says. I remember when I was really young, standing on my bed like it was a stage, singing at the top of my lungs and visualizing thousands of people surrounding me. She progressed from her bedroom to singing whenever and wherever she could - from gospel music in church to country music at fairs - until she was discovered by Arista Records. On a writing trip to New York, Avril caught the attention of Antonio L.A. Reid, who signed her to Arista. At 16, she moved to Manhattan and began work on her debut CD. Avril plunged right into the creative process. I love writing, she explains. When I get upset and really need to get it out of me, I go to my guitar. Sometimes I feel like my guitar is my therapist. Although Avril virtually lived in the studio during that New York stint, her efforts didn’t pay off at first. I started working with these really talented people, but I just wasn’t feeling it. The songs weren’t representative of me, she admits. Then they started talking about having people write for me - but I had to write for myself. I had to do my music. It was a really stressful time, but I never considered giving up. Instead, she swapped coasts. Los Angeles gave Avril the fresh start she needed. It was there that she hooked up with producer/songwriter Cliff Magness and realized that she had finally found her guy. We totally clicked, because he just let me guide. He really understood me and let me do my thing. The songs for Let Go began pouring out, with Magness at the helm and up-and-coming production team The Matrix on board. Avril couldn’t be happier with the way the album turned out. In this past year, I’ve really grown as a writer, she points out. ‘Complicated wasn’t written about anyone in particular. It is basically about life, people being fake and relationships. As for one of her favorite tracks, Losing Grip, Avril reveals, That is definitely one of my ex-boys - he didn’t give me what I needed emotionally. She laughs and adds, It doesn’t matter now, plus I got a good song out of it. Now that her album is done, Avril can’t wait to get out and play. She jokingly points out that touring with her own skater-punk band of rocker boys probably won’t be all that different from her childhood. I was always a tomboy, and I guess I still am. I played hockey during the fall and winter and baseball in the summer. I loved playing with the boys. Of course, Avril’s music is capable of reaching both the guys and the girls (not to mention some adventurous adults), and she’s more than ready to bring it to ‘em. I can’t wait to be out there - I want to rock the world! I want people to know that my music is real and honest and it came from my heart. I was just being true to myself. Avril’s real, all right. And ordinary? Anything but.
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