AVRIL LAVIGNE IS STILL THE MOTHERF*CKING (POP-PUNK) PRINCESS
For the last 20 years, Avril Lavigne has been an enigma that nobody could quite figure out. Was she an ingenious, 17-year-old, tomboy songwriter, or was she a “poser?” A fashion icon who made girls around the world rock neckties, or a bad influence who showed butt cleavage at the VMAs? A Guinness-world record-breaker who reached over 100 million views on YouTube for her “Girlfriend” music video, or a clone imposter named “Melissa?”
Maybe the reason the media and haters had trouble with Avril Lavigne is because they couldn’t put her in a box, and unfortunately for them, they still can’t! Avril is still rocking her punk-rock style, but changing it up every once in a while with a pink or sparkly number (like her recent outfit choice for this year’s VMAs). She’s still writing deep and poetic songs, but also high-energy, fun tunes that you can blast when you’re pissed off at your boyfriend. People on the internet are still speculating about weird conspiracy theories, but Avril still looks and sounds almost exactly the same as she did on her debut concert tour in 2002 (and that’s a good thing).
AVRIL LAVIGNE AND THE TWO DECADES THAT PAVED THE WAY FOR POP-PUNK
It’s been 20 years since Avril Lavigne released her debut album Let Go and emerged on the music scene as the newest it girl in pop punk. Avril created the pop punk genre releasing hit after hit and establishing herself as a lyrical genius, fashion icon, and a voice that not only spoke to a generation, but defined it. As she celebrates the 20th anniversary of Let Go, the album that kick started her career, the songstress shows no signs of slowing down.
Avril Lavigne would like you to think that she has a donkey.
The singer is currently living out in Malibu, a mostly peaceful place just west of Los Angeles. It reminds her of her home in Canada, not because of the sun or the waves but the “country vibes” and rolling hills. Her neighbours, she tells me, have a donkey, and she winds herself into hysterics trying to explain what noise he makes: “He doesn’t bark, he just makes noises. He yelps. Squeaks. Talks? It’s so funny,” she adds: “I don’t personally have a donkey, but write that in the article. ‘Avril Lavigne puts out new single ‘Bite Me’, moves to Malibu and gets a donkey.’”
Lavigne might not have a donkey all her own, but it’s clear that she’s in a great place right now – Malibu, but also personally. Now 37 years old and on her seventh album, she has settled into her place in the world: “I’m really grateful to still be doing what I love and to have a musical outlet. I’m having so much fun with it all, and I guess you can tell,” she says. “I’m not just putting out another record to put out a record, I’m making music this far into my career because I truly want to and it’s just such a big part of my life. I’m so excited to still be doing my thing.”
Read Avril’s great article in the newest edition of Nylon magazine. Coolest revelations from the article: the new album is due in January and Avril is FINALLY getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2022!
DON’T UNDERESTIMATE AVRIL LAVIGNE
THE QUEEN OF POP-PUNK IS BACK TO DOING WHAT SHE DOES BEST: BEING AVRIL LAVIGNE.
It was 2004, and a 19-year-old Avril Lavigne walked into her first NYLON cover shoot with a look that’s become pop culture cannon: Doc Martens, her outfits covered in “lots of studs and zippers,” as the article goes on to describe; her hair pin-straight and unbleached, with dark layers underneath. Seventeen years later, she enters her latest NYLON cover shoot — her fifth — as if dozens of style trends haven’t come and gone since. Her hair is lighter, flipped over to one side but still pin-straight; her shoes are platform slip-ons with razor blade-shaped zip pulls; her jeans are baggy and ripped at the knee, as if she’s come from a day skateboarding in the back alley. In 2004, the look was lambasted by critics as a teenage girl marketing manufactured punk, but Lavigne begs to differ; tucked into a leather couch in a downtown L.A. studio, she recalls early photoshoots where she was the one calling the shots. “I’d show up and they were like, ‘Can she wear this pink blouse?’ And I’d be like, ‘I’m not wearing that.’ I’d pull out my book bag, and all of my ties. It was my thing.”
Avril made a triumphant return to the VMA’s red carpet tonight, her first since 2003. Not only did she and Mod Sun make their red carpet debut together, Avril announced a feature with Machine Gun Kelly on her next “pop punk record”, coming soon!
I know we’ve all been saying this for years, but Avril really does seem to age in reverse. Look at those abs! You go girl!
Avril will be featured on a song on Willow Smith’s forthcoming album, and the pair shot a music video for it! No word on what the song is called or when we can hear it, but for now, take a look at the pics below.
5th album: 
