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Anything but ordinary. That's putting
it mildly when describing Avril Lavigne. A
skater-punk, a dynamic spirit, a true wild child.
One of those rare creatures who started wowing
people with her voice and character at around age 2.
A small-town kid who couldn't sit still in class but
had the confidence and determination to take off,
virtually on her own, to hone her songwriting skills
in New York City and Los Angeles. A startlingly
up-front and outrageous 17-year-old with everything
it takes to reach stardom-completely on her own
terms. "I'm just coming out and I'm going to
clearly be myself-I write what I feel, I never worry
what others think, " Avril avows. "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,
flaunting sassy vocals, a crystal clear voice with
real-girl lyrical style. "Anything But
Ordinary" is a rockin' ode to individuality,
while guitar-driven first single,
"Complicated," is a simple song that kicks
pretenders to the curb. The string-inflected
"I'm With You" reaches out for connection
to reflect Avril's more mellower side, but tracks
like "Losing Grip" and
"Unwanted" courageously confront rejection
and betrayal with all the heaviness such subjects
demand. Then there's "My World" and the
metaphoric "Mobile," which perfectly
articulate the Avril experience. "I have this
awesome opportunity to fulfill my dream. I am all
over the place, flying here and there, going through
different stuff every day," 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 segued from her
bedroom to singing, well, whenever and wherever she
could-starting in church singing gospel music, and
on to festivals, then singing country music at fairs
and talent contests-until she was discovered by
Arista Records.
On a writing trip to NYC, Avril caught the attention
of Antonio "LA" Reid, who snapped her up
and signed her to Arista. At 16, she moved to
Manhattan and began work on her debut CD. Avril
plunged 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 myself. I
had to do my music. It was a really stressful time,
but I never considered giving up." Instead, she
flipped coasts. Los Angeles gave Avril the fresh
start she needed.
It was there that she hooked up with
producer/songwriter Clif Magness, and "I was
like, 'Yeah! I've found my guy!'" she enthuses.
"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 as well as up-and-coming
production team the Matrix. Soon after Avril hooked
up with Nettwerk Management who've steered the
careers of Sarah McLachlan, Dido, Coldplay,
Barenaked Ladies and Sum 41.
Avril couldn't be happier with the way the album
turned out. "In this past year I've really
grown as a writer. 'Complicated' wasn't written
about anyone in particular. It is basically about
life, people being fake and relationships." As
to one of her favorite tracks, "Losing
Grip," she says, "That is definitely one
of my ex-boys-he didn't give me what I needed
emotionally." Avril laughs, "It doesn't
matter now, and 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 jokes, pointing out that touring
with her own sk8er 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 /winter and baseball
in the summer. I loved playing with the boys.
But Avril's music is capable of reaching the girls
and the guys, and more than a few adventurous adults
too-and she's chomping at the bit 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 -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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