DATE: MAY 2002

SOURCE: Alloy.com

ARTICLE: Celebrity Spotlight: Avril Lavigne

Age: 17.
Homebase: Napanee, Ontario.
Status: Single.
Rock Out: "Goo Goo Dolls, Matchbox Twenty, and Incubus -- I just love their sounds, and their songs are just so real and honest."
The Write Track: Avril was just 12 years old when she wrote her first song.
Smooth Stylin': Avril describes her fashion style as a mix of skater and punk.
Hobbies: Avril enjoys hunting, camping, skateboarding and playing hockey.
Cool Collaborations: "I would love to work with Johnny Reznik from the Goo Goo Dolls, blink-182, and System of a Down -- that would rock!"
Official Web Site: Check out more info on Avril! Plus, look for her debut Let Go in stores June 4, 2002.

When were you first interested in singing and songwriting?
I was just born musical. And my mom said when I was 2, she knew that I was gonna be a singer -- she said I was like her little songbird, always singing around the house. I started performing in church. I got to perform my first solo when I was 10. Ever since then, I'd been singing on my own constantly, hardcore.

How would you describe your sound?
I would describe the album as rock, pop, alternative... It's kind of all over the place. It's music with an edge.

How did you get discovered by Arista Records president L.A. Reid?
During my first time in New York City, I was in a studio writing, and someone from Arista heard me. They had L.A. come to the studio, and I sang for him. And then L.A. signed me. It was pretty fast because I didn't get shopped around or anything. Everyone was just like, "Girl, it doesn't usually happen like this!" And I was like, "Wow, I have a record deal. Oh my god!"

How is music a form of therapy for you?
If there's something that's bugging me, it just comes out in my music automatically. It's not something I can control. It just comes out. If I'm upset, I'll just go to my guitar and start writing about it. I'll feel better after because I got it out of me.

What's the most personal song on the album for you?
"Losing Grip". I was going through a really rough time, and I got it all out in that song. "Unwanted" is also a very personal song to me.

Being from Canada, do you ever get any comparisons to Alanis Morissette?
No... I mean, like, yeah, I get it sometimes. But I hate being compared to people. But it's one of those things that you're always gonna get. And then if I'm big one day, people will start comparing other people to me.

What has been the biggest challenge for you as an artist?
The whole [album-making] process was a big challenge. Every day there's a big challenge. The whole past year and a half has been very challenging -- the whole business side, trying to find my sound, trying to find the right people to write with, trying to let the label let me write my own songs and having to sing every day.

Was it a big struggle to get the label to let you write your own songs?
It was a really weird situation because they had signed me as an artist who didn't write her own songs. I don't think L.A. really realized that I was a writer. But I knew that I had it inside me to come out, and I knew it was one of those things I had to do. And so they let me, and it wasn't really working out because I wasn't really connecting [with the writer they hooked me up with]. Like, if you just get thrown [together] with someone there's just not very good of a chance that you guys are gonna like hit it off. I had to go through a whole bunch of different writers until I found the right person I could connect with because writing's a really personal thing. But the label was really cool about it. They were like, "OK, we'll let her try. We'll give her a chance." I don't think they really believed in me. Then after they got all the songs, they were like, "Oh my god!"

That's excellent. So what's been the most exciting part of the music business so far?
The video for "Complicated" was really fun to make. It was also really cool to hear myself on the radio. And I know that performing is what I look forward to because that is what I live for. Being on stage and singing my songs. That is the highlight of this whole thing. That's the highlight of my life, just getting up on stage and performing. That's what I look forward to most.

What's the concept of the "Complicated" video?
The concept is my band and I are playing outside in a skate park. And then there are shots of us performing, then shots of us skateboarding in the mall, and getting chased by security -- doing things we're not supposed to do.

Do you ever miss going to a regular school?
No, I hate school. It's boring. No one likes to sit in classes and stare at a teacher talking and writing on a chalkboard.

What would you be doing if you weren't a singer?
Getting in a lot of trouble!

Ha! It sounds like you're a bit of a tomboy. So do you hang out with guys more than girls?
I've hung out with guys all my life. I never really hung out with the girls. I thought girls were really boring, and guys were more active and fun and more daring. In my school, the girls just didn't really like me, and I didn't like them. I just really hit it off with the guys. I've always been comfortable around guys. I had an older brother that I went hunting with and I did all my sports with and stuff. So I just feel more comfortable around guys. But don't get me wrong. Girls are cool. I have like three girl best friends, and they're very important to me.

What do you think of pop stars like Britney and Christina?
All I can say is if I'm in my room, that's not the kind of music I would listen to. But I'm not dissing them. I'm proud of what they did. I respect that they've made it because it's really hard. I respect them so much for all the hard work they've put into everything. I'm not even halfway there, and it's so much work! So I really admire them. Good for them!

Were you ever pressured by your record company to be more like them since you're so close in age?
No. If anyone ever tried to push me in that direction, they know that I would flip out and go psycho. Once everyone at the label kind of got to know me, they knew who I was and what I was about.

What makes your songs stand out from the other pop stuff out there?
I think they probably mean more. I'm not dissing pop songs, but most are just really simple lyrics. My songs are deep from my heart. They're not just there to rhyme and sound good. They came from how I was feeling. So I think that people will be able to relate to that. And I also have some ballsy songs because I'm not afraid to rock out.

Is it challenging being so young and in the spotlight?
Honestly, I don't feel like I'm 17. And I think once people get to know me and my music they'll look past my age, and that's what I want them to do. Everyone tells me I'm an old soul. And, like, honestly, I feel like I've lived like 20-something years. If reincarnation's true then I've had other lives before.

What do your parents think about your success?
I wouldn't really call it success because I haven't actually made it yet. My parents are so proud of me. They really want this for me. They know it's my dream so they are so amazing about it. They're, like, totally there for me.