Avril Lavigne can do her own eyeliner — a smudgy, inky black that’s been her signature for nearly two decades — in five minutes flat. It’s a feat she announces with a sense of pride, exaggerating a fluttering of the eyes to show off her latest doing. It’s also a skill that comes in handy when a global pop star finds herself quarantined with a full day of video interviews and no glam squad.

Normally, Lavigne only wears mascara and some eyebrow gel while at home in Los Angeles. Today, however, she’s in work mode promoting her latest single, so full eyeliner it is. The song, “We Are Warriors,” is a remix of “Warriors,” off her 2019 album Head Above Water, the net proceeds from sales and streams will go to global health organization Project HOPE’s COVID-19 relief efforts, in partnership with the Avril Lavigne Foundation. “My whole tour got canceled, and I thought, ‘I want to be able to do something and give back somehow,’” she explains. “I’ve been moved by the frontline workers and what they are doing, and they are being referred to as warriors. I took my song ‘Warriors,’ and re-recorded it in the home studio to make it ‘We Are Warriors,’ about everyone who is risking their lives to help. It’s a small token of my appreciation.”

Now, Lavigne, 35, is winding down for the night in her home studio. “I still have high-waisted jeans on, and I can’t wait to take them off,” she says over Zoom, sipping on a colorful red liquid she later identifies as water with added electrolytes. She’s cross-legged on a keyboard bench, above which hang several black and white framed photos of herself. “I was thinking today that maybe I should film myself doing makeup,” she says, laughing at herself. “I’ll be like, ‘Hi, today I’m going to be an influencer. Let me get my camera angle right.’ We’ll do everything except contour.” The key to the Avril Lavigne eye, she explains to her audience of one, is the blending. “With a smoky eye, you cannot just do black,” she says. “You start with white, then you put grey, then a little bit of brown, and then black on the ends. You have to blend all these colors. Does she have a favorite eyeliner? “Yes, b*tch!” It’s MAC Eye Kohl in Smolder.

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With this release, The Avril Lavigne Foundation has partnered with Project HOPE. All net proceeds from sales and streams of “We Are Warriors” will help Project HOPE’s ongoing COVID-19 relief efforts around the world – including providing personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers. Support their mission at www.CharityStars.com/Warrior.

Purchase or stream the song here: https://avrillavigne.lnk.to/WeAreWarriorsID

A note from Avril:

Ever since our world was turned upside down a few weeks ago I’ve seen everyday people put on their armor and go into battle. Simple tasks like delivering mail has become a heroic effort. ⁣
Overnight everyone was asked to battle. ⁣
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Overnight everyone became Warriors. ⁣
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I wanted to get involved and contribute so I got to work in the studio and I want to dedicate this to all of you. I re-recorded Warrior to reflect our current world and all the amazing heroic things you’re all doing. To all the hospital workers, postal service people, grocery store workers, police and firemen, every single one of you who has had their world shaken. This is for you.⁣
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In addition, I’m going to be donating the net proceeds of this song to Project HOPE, an incredible organization that is on the front lines keeping doctors and medical staff safe all over the world. ⁣

Thank you all for everything you’re doing. I want you to know I see you and I support you. ⁣
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We Are Warriors. ⁣