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Avril
Lavigne - 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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