2008 Avril Lavigne

An energetic, rebellious spirit, Avril Lavigne began her career in the summer of 2002 through Arista Records with her singles 'Complicated' and 'Sk8er Boi'. Her debut album, Let Go, rocked the charts with 'Anything But Ordinary', 'I'm With You', 'Losing Grip', and 'Unwanted'. Two years later, Avril's talent in songwriting was further proven by her 2004 album Under My Skin with intense, dramatic tracks such as 'Take Me Away', 'Don't Tell Me', and 'He wasn't'. The marked differences between Let Go and Under My Skin show that Avril is capable of creating a variety of music while maintaining her unique style.

Lavigne, born in Napanee, Ontario, Canada, began displayed interest in music from a very early age. She was a middle child who always wanted to be the center of attention in her little town of 5,000 people, and she had the determination and confidence to develop her talents of songwriting, guitar-playing, and live performance (church choir, fairs, and various local festivals were Avril's initial live performance venues). She got her big break when Antonio Reid of Arista Records caught one of her performances and liked what he heard.

Soon Lavigne was offered her dream come true in the form of a recording deal: she took the opportunity and found herself in a Manhattan apartment with professional producers and songwriters to help her begin her career. She, however, wanted to use her own ideas and write her own songs, and she realized that she needed a different environment to fully explore her creativity, so she moved to Los Angeles where she received the assistance of producer/songwriter Cliff Magess, who helped her polish her debut album.

Avril's career soared, not only because she was able to relate to others through her music, but also because of her 'real-ness': she showed that she was not concerned with the TRL-dominated world. She quickly became one of the youngest and biggest stars in the pop music universe. Perhaps Avril was destined to reach the world through her music, maybe she was just 'lucky': either way, her stardom is without question.

Ms. Lavigne loves to tour with her sk8er punk band all over the world, from her roots in Canada, to the U.S., Europe, and Japan. She has always been a tomboy: as a child she loved to play sports with boys, so it is not surprising that she enjoys hanging out with her rocker band. Surely this tomboy turned pop-rock icon will continue to release unique, thoughtful music for many years to come.