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Avril Lavigne Profile |
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Birth Date: September 27, 1984
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Birth Place: Belleville, Ontario, Canada
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Birth Name: Avril Ramona Lavigne
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Height: 5'3"
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Biography |
From early childhood onwards, Avril Lavigne always stood out
among the 5000 residents of Napanee, Ontario -- her 1984
birthplace. At first distinguished from her female peers
because of her affinity for the baseball field in the summer
and the hockey rink in the winter, Avril became recognizable
in the community on the basis of her musical performances.
By age 10, she had graduated from the local church choir to
the regional fairgrounds, singing country music in
competitions. Three years later, Avril began making her
impact outside of Napanee, as her vocal skill won her the
grand prize in a radio station contest: a trip to the city
of Ottawa, to perform a duet in concert with another Ontario
native, country music star Shania Twain. While this probably
ranked as the pinnacle of pubescence for any other
13-year-old girl, Avril went on to accomplish far greater
things before leaving adolescence.
By the time Avril reached high school, her vocal prowess
seemed rivaled only by her ability to play the guitar, and
she began sending videotapes of her stage performances to
labels and management companies throughout North America.
Following a host of rejections, her talent eventually caught
the eyes of Nettwerk Management, an organization that
fostered other such Canadian acts as Sarah McLachlan, Sum 41
and Barenaked Ladies.
Nettwerk arranged for Avril to fly down to New York City to
meet with some other songwriters and begin work on a demo
tape. As it turned out, Avril was signed before she even had
a chance to complete the demo. An Arista Records
representative came to visit Avril at her studio, and was
sufficiently impressed with her voice to return with Arista
CEO Antonio "L.A." Reid, who immediately signed the then
16-year-old to a contract.
After briefly returning to Canada, Avril made the move to
Manhattan to embark on her professional career, accompanied
by her older brother Matt as an escort. Although she had
been signed to Arista strictly as a vocalist, Avril balked
at the notion of singing someone else's songs and insisted
on having a hand in the writing process. When she failed to
click with any New York-based songwriters, Avril made her
third move of the year, this time to Los Angeles.
It was on the West Coast that she met producer/songwriter
Cliff Magness, with whom she immediately developed a
rapport. The two began composing together, and within a few
months' time, Avril's debut album had begun to take shape.
Avril's first single, "Complicated," was released in the
early spring of 2002, and immediately began scaling the
charts across the continent. By the summer, the track had
reached the top spot among Canadian singles, and was in the
top 15 on the Billboard Adult 40 list. The popularity of
"Complicated" paved the way for the success of Avril's first
full-length CD, Let Go, which debuted at #8 on the Billboard
charts in June 2002.
While Avril's vocal range and high-energy musical style has
brought her comparisons ranging from Alanis Morissette to
Pink, she has been adamant in positioning herself as a
unique artist, one who runs counter to the mainstream. This
persona has been nurtured thanks to the lyrics of such songs
as "Sk8er Boi," wherein Avril is none too subtle in voicing
her anti-conformist stance, and through her public remarks
regarding other female musicians, notably Britney Spears.
It is a formula which, to date, has worked like a charm: for
a debut artist, Avril boasts a staggering fan base, and the
media interest surrounding this young singer seems far from
receding. Conjoin this one-of-a-kind personality with a
memorable voice and obvious musical talents, and it seems as
if Avril may be in the spotlight for some time to come. |
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Other
Information |
One of her songs, "Losing Grip", is about an ex-boyfriend
won the 'New Artist in a Video' award for her song
'Complicated' at the 2002 VMA
Parents are Judy & John Lavigne, French-Canadians.
Her first video, "Complicated", cost over $1 million.
Her younger sister appeared in her 'SK8R BOI' Video.
She has a younger sister, Michelle and an older brother,
Matthew
Was orginally pursuing a career in country and folk music,
but transitioned into "punk-rock" because of its more
lucrative possbilities.
Received 5 Grammy nominations, including 1 for best new
artist (2003)
Debut album 'Let Go' is 6x platinum
Dropped out of high school after the 11th grade when she
secured a record deal.
Won 3 MTV Asia Awards for favorite female artist, favorite
breakthrough artist & style (2003)
Has been nominated for 6 Juno Awards (2003)
Her CD, "Let Go", was the third best selling album of 2002.
Won four Juno Awards: Single of the Year ("Complicated"),
Album of the Year ("Let Go"), New Artist of the Year and Pop
Album of the Year.
Announced that her song 'Sk8er Boi' will be turned into a
movie.
Her second album is titled "Under My Skin," which has gone
2x platinum
Has a pizza named after her at a restaurant in her home
town, Napanee, Ontario.
381,000 copies were sold of her second album "Under My
Skin", making it her 2nd #1 album. According to Nielsen
SoundScan, it ended the #1 spot eight- week reign of Usher's
"Confessions" album. "Under My Skin" album is also #1 in the
UK.
Favorite pizza topping is olives
The song "Slipped Away" on her second album is about the
death of her grandfather.
Wrote the song "Breakaway" which was sung by Kelly Clarkson.
Is the second child out of three in her family
Is good friends with Pink,Vanessa Carlton, and Fefe Dobson.
Nominated for 3 Grammys: Song Of The Year ("I'm With You"),
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance ("I'm With You") & Best
Female Rock Vocal Performance ("Losing Grip") (2004)
Avril taught herself the guitar at the age of 12
Won Favorite Female Singer at the 18th Annual Kid's Choice
Awards [April 2005]
2005: Won 3 Juno Awards; Fan Choice Award, Artist of the
Year, and Pop Album of the Year ("Under My Skin").
Voted #1 in Teen People's Top Hottest 21 Under 21 List
[April 30th - May 1st 2005]
She was kind enough to donate many items to Rocky Stone to
be given to less fortunate kids as part of the Toy Mountain
Campaign 2004.
Decided to perform in Dublin, Ireland the same day her
grandfather died. After receiving the news, she knew he
would have wanted her to continue on. Although all but
breaking down on stage, she continued to perform in his
memory.
Became engaged to Deryck Whibley on June 25, 2005.
Writes all of her own songs about her own personal
experiences.
Named #36 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2005 list.
Is a vegan. |
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