Avril Lavigne is a Canadian singer and songwriter born on September 27, 1984. She is known for her influence on pop-punk music. She’s received eight Grammy nominations for her work.
At just 16 Lavigne signed with Arista Records for two albums. Her debut “Let Go” (2002) is the best-selling album of the 21st century by a Canadian artist. It featured hits like “Complicated” and “Sk8er Boi” establishing her as a pioneer of punk-influenced pop music for women in the early 2000s. Her second album “Under My Skin” (2004) topped the Billboard 200 and sold 10 million copies globally.
Her third album “The Best Damn Thing” (2007) also hit number one in multiple countries. The lead single “Girlfriend” marked her first Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper. Subsequent albums “Goodbye Lullaby” (2011) and “Avril Lavigne” (2013) continued her commercial success achieving gold certification in multiple countries.
In 2019, she released “Head Above Water” followed by her return to punk roots with “Love Sux” (2022) her seventh studio album.
| Full Name | Avril Ramona Lavigne |
| Date of Birth | September 27, 1984 |
| Place of Birth | Belleville, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Singer, songwriter, actress |
| Height | 5’1″ (155 cm) |
| Spouse | Chad Kroeger Deryck Whibley |
| Children | None |
| Net Worth | $60 million |
Avril Lavigne’s Early Life and Education
Avril Ramona Lavigne was born on September 27, 1984, in Belleville Ontario. Her name Avril which means “April” in French was given by her father. Her parents noticed her singing talent at the age of two when she sang “Jesus Loves Me” on the way home from church. Avril has an older brother named Matthew and a younger sister named Michelle who used to tease her when she sang. Her brother even knocked on the wall because he found her singing before bed annoying.
Avril Lavigne’s paternal grandfather Maurice Yves Lavigne was born in Saint-Jérôme Quebec and served in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He married Lucie Dzierzbicki from France and their son Jean-Claude Lavigne was born in 1954. Jean-Claude later moved to Ontario with his family where he married Judith-Rosanne “Judy” Loshaw in 1975.
When Avril was 5 years old her family moved to Napanee a small town in Ontario. Around the same age, she was diagnosed with ADHD which made school challenging for her.
Her father supported Avril’s musical interests by buying her equipment like microphones drums keyboards and guitars and even turned their basement into a studio. He played bass at their church where Avril often joined in. At 14 her parents took her to karaoke sessions sparking her passion for performing.
During high school in Napanee Avril not only pursued music but also played hockey where she excelled as a right winger and won MVP honors twice in a boys’ league. She began performing at local events singing songs by artists like Garth Brooks the Chicks and Shania Twain and started writing her songs starting with one called “Can’t Stop Thinking About You” inspired by a teenage crush.
Career
In 1999, Avril Lavigne won a radio competition to perform alongside Shania Twain at Ottawa’s Corel Centre in front of 20000 people. During the performance, Lavigne expressed her ambition to become a famous singer. She caught the attention of local musician Stephen Medd who invited her to contribute vocals on his songs “Touch the Sky” and later “Temple of Life” and “Two Rivers”.
Later that year, Lavigne’s talent was noticed by her first manager Cliff Fabri while she was singing country songs at a Chapters bookstore in Kingston. Fabri sent out recordings of her performances leading to interest from several music executives. Mark Jowett of Nettwerk Management received a copy of Lavigne’s karaoke recordings and arranged for her to collaborate with producer Peter Zizzo in New York. During this time she wrote her song “Why” and caught the attention of Arista Records.
In 2000, Avril Lavigne impressed A&R representative Ken Krongard and Arista Records head Antonio “L.A.” Reid during an audition in New York. Reid signed her to a $1.25 million deal for two albums plus an additional $900000 for publishing. Lavigne known for her skater image from her high school days in Napanee Ontario decided to focus on her music career after signing the record deal with support from her parents.
Her debut album “Let Go” released in June 2002 achieved great success reaching number two on the Billboard 200 and number one in Australia Canada and the UK. By the end of 2002, it was certified four-times Platinum by the RIAA making Lavigne the top-selling female artist of the year. The album continued to sell well reaching over 16 million units worldwide by 2009. Lavigne’s breakout single “Complicated” topped the charts and earned her multiple awards including Best New Artist at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards.
Lavigne’s career continued to soar with subsequent albums like “Under My Skin” (2004) and “The Best Damn Thing” (2007) both achieving international success with hit singles like “My Happy Ending” and “Girlfriend”. She also ventured into other creative areas designing clothing inspired by “Alice in Wonderland” and performing at major events like the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics closing ceremony.
Avril Lavigne began work on her fifth album shortly after releasing Goodbye Lullaby. She described this new project as a shift towards more upbeat pop music. In late 2011, she confirmed her move to Epic Records under L. A. Reid’s leadership. Lavigne contributed covers of “How You Remind Me” and “Bad Reputation” for the 2012 film One Piece Film: Z.
Her fifth album titled Avril Lavigne debuted in November 2013 with hits like “Here’s to Never Growing Up” and “Rock n Roll”. The album received gold certification in Canada and a Juno Award nomination. Despite controversies “Hello Kitty” became its fourth single in April 2014.
In 2014, Lavigne toured with the Backstreet Boys and performed at Tokyo’s Summer Sonic Festival. She released “Give You What You Like” in early 2015 and was featured in the movie Babysitter’s Black Book.
By March 2018, Avril Lavigne had sold over 500000 copies in the US and earned RIAA Gold certification.
In 2019, Lavigne released her sixth studio album Head Above Water addressing her battle with Lyme disease. It included singles like “Head Above Water” and “Tell Me It’s Over”. She embarked on the Head Above Water Tour starting September 2019 with European dates postponed to 2022 due to COVID-19.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lavigne released “We Are Warriors” in April 2020 with proceeds supporting Project HOPE. In early 2021 she collaborated on “Flames” with Mod Sun.
In July 2021, Avril Lavigne featured on Willow Smith’s album “Lately I Feel Everything”. She later signed with Barker’s label and released “Bite Me” in November 2021. Lavigne’s seventh studio album “Love Sux” came out in February 2022 featuring singles like “Love It When You Hate Me”.
In June 2022, a special edition of her debut album “Let Go” was released for its 20th anniversary. Lavigne performed at the 15th Annual ACM Honors in September 2022.
In October 2022, Lavigne announced “I’m a Mess” featuring Yungblud the lead single from the deluxe edition of Love Sux released in November 2022. She confirmed working on her eighth studio album with several artists.
In May 2024, Avril Lavigne announced plans for a greatest hits album and released “Bulletproof” with country artist Nate Smith. She also performed at the Glastonbury Festival in England for the first time drawing a massive crowd.
Net Worth
Avril Lavigne has an estimated net worth of $60 Million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The main source of Avril Lavigne’s net worth primarily comes from her successful career in music, which includes album sales, concerts, and royalties from her popular songs. She has also earned from endorsements, appearances in movies and TV shows, and her fashion line Abbey Dawn.
Lavigne’s entrepreneurial ventures and investments further contribute to her wealth. Her ability to diversify her income streams beyond music has been key to maintaining and growing her net worth over the years.
Personal life
Avril Lavigne a well-known singer started dating Deryck Whibley the lead vocalist of Sum 41 when she was 19 after being friends since she was 17. They got engaged in June 2005 and married on July 15, 2006, in Montecito California. However, they divorced on November 16 2010 citing irreconcilable differences.
Later, Avril Lavigne dated Brody Jenner from “The Hills” starting in February 2010 but they split in January 2012 after nearly two years together.
In July 2012, Avril Lavigne began dating Chad Kroeger the lead singer of Nickelback after collaborating on music for her album. They got engaged just a month later and married on July 1, 2013, in France. However, they announced their separation in September 2015 and later divorced.
In 2018, Avril Lavigne started dating Phillip Sarofim a billionaire but they broke up in 2019. She was reported to be dating musician Pete Jonas in 2020 and later started a relationship with Mod Sun around March 2021. They got engaged in April 2022 but ended their engagement in February 2023.
Lavigne’s father is French and she obtained a French passport through jus sanguinis in February 2011. In January 2012, she sold her house in Bel-Air and moved to Paris to study French renting an apartment and attending a language school.
In April 2015, Lavigne revealed she had been diagnosed with Lyme disease after her 30th birthday in 2014. She has been an advocate for Lyme disease awareness since then.
Avril Lavigne is known for her tattoos many of which match those of her friends. She has tattoos commemorating relationships including matching ones with Deryck Whibley and a lightning bolt with the number 30. Her interest in tattoos gained attention particularly a controversial tattoo with the word “fuck” that she and Brody Jenner got together.
She has also been associated with a vegan or vegetarian diet although she hasn’t publicly discussed her dietary choices in detail.
Philanthropy
Avril Lavigne has been deeply involved in various charitable efforts throughout her career. She has supported organizations like Make Some Noise, Amnesty International, Erase MS, AmericanCPR.org, Special Olympics Camp, Will-a-Way Music, Clearing Minefields, US Campaign for Burma, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and War Child.
In partnership with YouthAIDS Avril participated in ALDO ads to raise awareness and funds for HIV/AIDS education worldwide. She also performed at the Unite Against AIDS concert presented by ALDO in 2007 to support UNICEF.
Avril worked with the non-profit environmental organization Reverb during her 2005 East Coast tour. She contributed to War Child’s Peace Songs album with a cover of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” and recorded John Lennon’s “Imagine” for the Instant Karma album by Amnesty International to aid the crisis in Darfur.
In 2009, Avril Lavigne performed at Mexico City’s “Teleton” the largest charity event in Latin America where she played acoustic versions of her songs “Complicated” and “Girlfriend” with Evan Taubenfeld and Jim McGorman.
Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Avril joined other artists in recording a cover of K’naan’s “Wavin’ Flag” to raise funds for charity.
In 2010, Avril founded “The Avril Lavigne Foundation” to support young people facing serious illnesses and disabilities. The foundation partners with organizations like Easter Seals Make-A-Wish and Erase MS. Inspired by her work with Make-A-Wish Avril stated “I just really wanted to do more.”
Avril’s philanthropic efforts also include a personal fundraising campaign for the Special Olympics in 2014 and the #FightLyme concert in 2020 to raise awareness and funds for Lyme disease research benefiting the Global Lyme Alliance and her foundation.
Awards
Avril Lavigne received recognition for her music early in her career. She won an International Achievement Award for “Complicated” at the SOCAN Awards in Toronto in 2003. She was nominated for eight Grammy Awards including Best New Artist and received nominations from the American Music Awards Brit Awards and MTV Video Music Awards.
Lavigne’s global music sales include over 30 million singles and 40 million albums with over 12.4 million album copies sold in the US alone according to Billboard.
Billboard also ranked Avril Lavigne as the 10th top pop artist of the 2000s. She was recognized as the 28th best-performing act of the decade based on album and single chart performance in the US.
In 2003 at 18 years and 106 days old Lavigne set a Guinness World Record as the youngest solo female artist to top the UK album chart with “Let Go” which reached number one in its 18th week on the chart. She held this record until 2004.
Additionally, Lavigne made history by being the first artist to achieve 100 million views on a YouTube video with her 2007 single “Girlfriend.” She was also the first Western artist to complete a full tour in China with The Best Damn Tour in 2008.
In Asia, particularly in Japan, her first three albums sold over 1 million copies each making her the only female Western artist since the 2000s to achieve this milestone.
Avril Lavigne holds the distinction of being the only artist to perform at three different multi-sport events: the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympic Games in Torino 2006 and Vancouver 2010 and the opening ceremony of the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games.
