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Avril Ramona Lavigne" (pronounced /ˈævrɨl ləˈviːn/; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, fashion designer, and actress. Lavigne has sold more than 30 million copies of her albums worldwide. She is currently one of the top-selling artists releasing albums in the United States, with over 10.25 million copies certified by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Lavigne broke into the recording industry with her debut album, Let Go, released in 2002. As of 2009, over 16 million copies were sold worldwide, more than 6 million of which were sold in the United States. Her second and third albums, Under My Skin and The Best Damn Thing, reached number one on the Global charts. Lavigne has scored five number-one singles worldwide, including "Complicated", "Sk8er Boi", "I'm With You", "My Happy Ending" and "Girlfriend". She is currently working on her fourth studio album, due out in early 2010.
Early years
Avril Ramona Lavigne was born to a French-born[citation needed] father, Jean-Claude, and a Franco-Ontarian mother, Judy, in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. Her father named her Avril after the month "April" in French. She has an older brother, Matthew, and a younger sister, Michelle. Lavigne's mother was the first to spot young Lavigne's talent. A daughter of a regular working-class Catholic family,Lavigne, at the age of two, began singing church songs along with her mother. The family moved to Napanee, Ontario, when Lavigne was five years old.
In 1998, Lavigne won a competition to sing with fellow Canadian singer Shania Twain on her first major concert tour. She appeared alongside Twain at her concert in Ottawa, appearing on stage to sing "What Made You Say That". She was discovered by her first professional manager, Cliff Fabri, while singing country covers at a Chapters bookstore in Kingston, Ontario. During a performance with the Lennox Community Theatre, Lavigne was spotted by local folk singer Steve Medd, who invited her to contribute vocals on his song, "Touch the Sky", for his 1999 album, Quinte Spirit. She later sang on "Temple of Life" and "Two Rivers" for his follow up 2000 album, My Window to You.
Avril Lavigne discography:
The discography of Avril Lavigne, a Canadian singer-songwriter, consists of three studio albums, three extended plays, sixteen singles, fourteen music videos and a number of other appearances.
Lavigne released her debut album, Let Go, in 2002 in the United States, where it reached number two. It peaked at number one in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. "Complicated", was the first single and it went to number one in Australia, number two in the United States and number three in the United Kingdom. Subsequent singles "Sk8er Boy" and "I'm With You" reached the top ten in the US and UK. Let Go has sold over sixteen million copies worldwide and is certified six times platinum in the United States.
Second album, Under My Skin, was released in 2004, debuting at number one in several countries, including Australia, Mexico, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The album has sold more than 10 million copies. "Don't Tell Me" the first single of the album went to the top five in the UK and Canada, and top ten in Australia. In the United States it reached the top ten of Billboard Hot 100. Other singles released were; "Nobody's Home" which did not make the top 40 in the US, "He Wasn't", reached top 40 positions in the UK and Australia, and was not released in the US, "Fall to Pieces" was released as the final single from the album, but did not do as well as previous singles.
Lavigne's third album, The Best Damn Thing, was in 2007. Lead single, "Girlfriend", topped the Billboard Hot 100, the week The Best Damn Thing debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The single also went to number one in Australia, Canada, and Italy and number two in the UK and France. "When You're Gone" second single went to number three in the UK, top five in Australia and Italy, top ten in Canada and was very close to be top twenty in the United States, "Hot" was the third single and has been Lavigne's least succcessful single in the US charting only at number 95. In Canada it made the top ten and in Australia the top 20; The album has sold around 6 million worldwide.
