When Canadian singer Avril Lavigne broke into the mainstream music scene with the release of her debut album, “Let Go,” in 2002, she was quickly labeled by many as the “Anti-Britney.”
Sporting skate-punk outfits — preferably tank tops and neckties — and belting out songs that were closer to rock than bubble-gum pop, Lavigne seemed to be the opposite of the glitzy and glamorous teen divas like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, who were dominating MTV at the time.
Almost 10 years later, Lavigne, who is set to perform live in Jakarta at Balai Kartini on Wednesday, has grown from a rebellious teenager into a multi-talented entertainer who is not only a successful musician, but has also branched out into film and fashion design. Most importantly, she has managed to maintain her originality — the trait that earned her millions of fans worldwide.
“My fans are hard-core,” Lavigne said on her Web site. “They are very dedicated and really supportive — the kind of fans who stick around. People have come up and started crying, saying, ‘You have no idea what your music has done for me.’ That’s all I need to hear. If I can give even one person strength through my music, that’s pretty frickin’ special.”
Lavigne, who was born in 1984 in Napanee, a small town in Ontario, Canada, sang as a member of the local church choir when she was growing up. She fell in love with music and started to perform at local festivals and fairs.
In 1999, Lavigne won a contest that allowed her to perform on stage with fellow Canadian singer Shania Twain. The collaboration did not go unnoticed. Soon, music labels began knocking on her door and Lavigne eventually signed with Arista Records.
“Let Go,” which was nominated for eight Grammy awards, featured the hit singles “Complicated,” “Sk8er Boi” and “I’m With You.” The album quickly established Lavigne as the scene’s new wild child. She defied trends by not using sexy video clips or suggestive lyrics to gain success. She also gained a reputation for being headstrong and somewhat stubborn, refusing to wear too much makeup or fashionable clothes during photo shoots, instead opting for old, comfortable T-shirts and skater shoes.
“I rejected some gorgeous publicity shots because they just didn’t look like me,” Lavigne said in an MTV interview. “I won’t wear skanky clothes that show my booty, my belly or my boobs. I have a great body.”
When she started work on her sophomore album, Lavigne decided not to rely on professional song writing teams, choosing instead to collaborate with musicians of her own choosing, including Chantal Kreviazuk and Ben Moody of Evanescence.
The results of those collaborations, “Under My Skin,” was released in 2004 and debuted at number one on the Billboard album charts. Most music critics gave the album favorable reviews. Rolling Stone magazine applauded her vocals, writing that “blankness is what makes her best songs so irresistible. Whether it’s a fit of faux punk or a maudlin ballad, she sings it all absolutely straight.”
Lavigne used the album’s success to start pursuing other interests in addition to music. She appeared in several movies, including “Fast Food Nation” (2006) and “The Flock” (2007). She also lent her voice to one of the characters in the animated movie “Over the Hedge” (2006). She also launched Abbey Dawn, a clothing line focusing on back-to-school outfits, in 2008. But Lavigne has made clear that she will always be faithful to her first love, music.
Her third album, “The Best Damn Thing,” was released in 2007, while her latest effort, “Goodbye Lullaby,” followed this past March.
Her Jakarta gig is part of what she’s calling the Black Star Tour, which will also bring her to seven other cities in Asia in support of the new album.
“I pushed myself and didn’t hold back,” Lavigne said about her latest release. “I allowed myself to be vulnerable. I think it’s during the real moments that people can relate the most. Those who have heard the album have had very strong emotional reactions to the songs, so I realized that when something is so real, it will probably touch somebody. The beauty of music is that it’s open to interpretation.”
“Goodbye Lullaby” may be Lavigne’s most melancholy album yet. Many of the songs seem to reflect on her failed marriage with Deryck Whibley, lead singer and guitarist of Sum 41. The couple married in 2006 but split up after only three years.
The wild teenager from Napanee seems to be gone. Nowadays, Lavigne cites surfing and yoga as her favorite pastimes and she can even be seen wearing feminine outfits on occasion. She also launched the Avril Lavigne Foundation in September. It’s a charity organization that support young people suffering from serious illnesses and disabilities.
But even though Lavigne seems more mature and responsible, she told E! Online that she still looks back on her beginnings with a smile on her face.
“I don’t really regret anything. You know, the ties and the wifebeaters and all. It had its time and place. And now I’m all grown up, and I’ve moved on.”
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