20 Facts About Our Fav 'Sk8er Grrl' Even Avril Lavigne Fans Don't Know
In 2002, the popular culture world was ruled by a myriad of pop stars who shimmied into our hearts and cemented a certain brand of girl singers into our minds and headphones. Catchy choruses and colourful stage costumes ruled the world of music and these pop stars created a new era of female-dominated music, but one artist changed the trajectory of the industry from being ruled by the "girls" to being dominated by the "grrrrls." Avril Lavigne, a seventeen-year-old girl, literally skated into our living rooms via her first music video, "Complicated," and made room for a new generation of "grrrls" who loved guitars!
In the years since Avril's debut album, she has reinvented herself through different types of images and musical styles, but there is so much more behind the "sk8er grrrl!" Longtime followers of Avril know well-known facts about her life and career, such as her highly publicized marriages to Sum 41's Deryck Whibley and Nickelback's Chad Kroeger, and her well-documented love of pizza, as Mix 108 reports, but there's still such an intricate side to the interesting life of Lavigne!
Avril recently released her first album in many years, showing her fans a different side of her musical repertoire after a prolonged period of illness caused her to take some time out of the public eye. Avril's recent resurgence back into the spotlight has been a tale of courage and perseverance, but this is no surprise to her fans. Here's to our "Sk8er Grrrl!"
20 Avril Designed Leggings
Avril's influence on the fashion world has been well documented. She became famous for rocking your dad's ties, and she has been directly involved in fashion with her clothing line Abbey Dawn, but the "Girlfriend" singer has also explored a more niche fashion area.
Talk about a woman who knows her trends. Leggings have been a comforting staple in the fashion world for a long time, and Avril tapped into this knowledge by creating a leggings line that incorporated her own edgy-but-fun style. According to People, the leggings were only available for "four weeks." A short period, but a style staple!
19 She Loves A Good Throwback Tune
For an artist who has released many records with an array of styles, a listener may think Avril doesn't have time to go back to revisit her older releases, but the "sk8er grrl" has lots of love for her older songs!
Avril came on the scene and was known for her pop-rock song style, and she later experimented with a sound more on the poppier side of the speaker and recently brought out the piano as the main staple of her latest album's music. Avril loves a song of hers in particular: "I'm With You," as per Digital Spy!
18 Avril Was A Ham For The Camera
Avril first appeared on stage at an early age, and it's a well-known fact of her early career that she was heavily inspired by country legend Shania Twain. She even appeared alongside Twain on stage after winning a radio contest, as Canada Cool reports. Judging by some early footage of young Avril working the crowd, it's understood why!
When MTV profiled Avril in a documentary, the starlet said, "When I was young, I always wanted to be the center of attention, and whenever my parents had anyone come over to the house, I would run into the room and start singing." A prodigy!
17 She's Jammed With Some Famous Friends
We know Avril is a take-charge mastermind when it comes to controlling the direction of her career, and this means she knows exactly who she wants to be in her rock and roll camp!
Avril's music wouldn't be fully complete without the crew whose roles may be more of the behind-the-scenes variety, but they're all equally important cooks in Avril's kitchen. In addition to Avril's longtime band, she has collaborated with many famous faces. An MTV documentary chronicling the making of her third album shows Blink-182's Travis Barker playing drums! Avril's also been known to work with Marilyn Manson, as NME reports.
16 Lavigne Loves Love
Avril has always been outspoken about her feelings surrounding the concept of traditional love, and her love of falling in love has been evident by her two marriages. However, there's a real layer of understanding yourself and how you respond to the human connection that plays an important part when it comes to love.
Love is so much more than heartfelt ballads and elaborate weddings. Avril Lavigne knows how important a role love plays in her life and it's much deeper than any "sk8er boi" could comprehend! Avril weighed in on love to Billboard, saying, "I love love. The way I look at it, I married my long-terms." How romantic!
15 She Rocked A Unique School Style
Individuality is a key component in how we present ourselves, especially when trying to cement our identities in the world of social status! Avril caught the attention of the public with her style and never-before-seen attitude in the realm of teen pop stars, and as it turns out, her uncommon outfits were taking shape years before her career took off.
In an interview with Dateline, Avril detailed her parents' perception of her style. As NBC News reports, she said, "… and you know I'd go to school with like twist ties in my hair or little candy wrappers in my hair just to be weird."
14 She's Connected With The Kardashians
In terms of Hollywood and the bubble of celebrity excess, you can't get more "Hollywood" than the Kardashian-Jenner family! With more than a decade's worth of Keeping Up With The Kardashians episodes, the family has a squad of celebrity friends seemingly as big as their blended family, and for a moment in history, Avril Lavigne was along for the ride!
If the name Brody Jenner doesn't ring a bell, some old Hills episodes may do the trick! Avril and Brody were once romantically linked, as Us magazine reports, thus bringing Avril into the Kardashians' glamorous world. She was even invited to Kim's wedding!
13 This "Sk8er Grrl" Modeled
For a girl who really voiced her distaste for dresses and more formal clothes, seeing Avril wearing fancy clothing and dressing up and coming into a more grown-up style evolution could cause a double take!
When Avril released her third record, her fans might've noticed a change from her trademark style of skater clothing and ties. She turned up the style scale after appearing in the pages of high-profile fashion magazines! Of her modeling experience, the singer told the Today show, "As I've gotten older, I appreciate fashion a bit more and experiment a bit more… "
12 Avril Loves Her Some Miley
Hollywood is comprised of different tiers of celebrities who are pursuing different avenues of entertainment, but many popular celebs intersect at some point or another!
Everyone's favourite party pal turned glamorous Hollywood bride has given our beloved "sk8er grrl" her stamp of approval. We could imagine Miley Cyrus and Avril having a sleepover party and a karaoke sing-a-long to "Girlfriend!" Avril's admiration for the "Wrecking Ball" singer has to do with Miley's memorable stage presence. Avril once told E! News, "She's doing her thing right now, so good for her!"
Having a squad in the entertainment world is so nice!
11 Avril's Always Down To Clown
Part of Avril Lavigne's appeal is her ability to make her fans want to be her best friend because she always seems to keep the party going! Throughout her career, Avril's fans know she loves to hang out on a skateboard with her band, but she's been known to participate in an activity or two that are more on the daring side!
When you're in the entertainment industry and you're waiting for time to pass, it's pretty common to find unconventional ways to entertain yourself. When Avril filmed the music video for "Sk8er Boi," she and her band hung out with bugs, as Fuse reports.
10 She Found Love In An Unexpected Place
It's common knowledge, even for an Avril newbie, that the "Complicated" singer has been married twice, and has also been linked to a number of famous faces. However, the "OG romance" which started it all for Lavigne was when she found love in a rock and roll "rom-com" way when she began dating her bandmate, Jesse Colburn, during the Let Go era!
Avril and Jesse set fans' hearts pumping when the former couple was spotted walking on the beach together, as Famous Fix reports. Unfortunately, their relationship fizzled out fairly quickly. According to MTV, Jesse also left the band in 2004.
9 Her Label Wanted Her To Be A 'Country Cutie'
Avril's musical roots are bound to country music, and sometimes when country music comes to mind, you might think of a few of Avril's contemporaries who are known for playing acoustic guitars. Can you picture Avril Lavigne's style sounding a bit more like Taylor Swift's earlier music?
This particular style was how musical "higher ups" imagined marketing Avril and her music. An interview with Rolling Stone detailed Avril's early career and according to Avril, "the label wasn't thrilled with the heavy guitar sound" a few of her tracks displayed. The label was ultimately satisfied, though, as Billboard reports.
8 Av Was The Queen Of High School Rebellion
High school is a time for expression! For many of us, we're often still trying to figure out the kind of person we want to be, and it never hurts to have a little fun during the process.
For Avril, her teenage years were a bit different from those of your typical teen. Her high-energy songs, as shown by the large quantity of footage available of Avril having a great time with her band, allowed her rebellious roots to take hold during her high school years. According to Vice, she loved running up and down the hallways! So, she still seemed to want to do the normal teenage stuff, which is cool.
7 Her Spouses Were Musical Muses
Avril has such a strong stage presence, so it might be easy to forget she has many people on hand to contribute to the creation of her beloved final products! From her band playing a big role in shaping her overall sound to the multiple behind-the-scenes helpers who contribute to the production of her records, multiple people are around to make Avril's visions become a reality.
Two particular music contributors will be automatically familiar to Avril's fans. Both Deryck Whibley and Chad Kroeger have helped Avril create music.
6 She's A Charitable Chick
Listening to an Avril song will show you the singer knows the importance of expressing herself and bringing attention to the things in life she's passionate about. Avril's passions include helping others, and that's why she created the Avril Lavigne Foundation!
Avril launched her foundation with the intention of bringing joy to fans who are dealing with difficult circumstances in their lives, or feel like they don't fit in somehow. She added that she admires people who are "living with a permanent disability, who don't let their circumstances stop them from following their dreams," as Avril-l.org states.
5 Avril Is An Artist
For artists of any kind, perfecting your craft can be strengthened by drifting into other artistic endeavours! Avril knows this to be true. The "Complicated" songstress found herself seeking inspiration while she was out of commission and the spotlight for a few years due to her experience with Lyme disease.
Avril spoke to Billboard last year letting her fans know she had a hand in creating some art pieces that adorn her home. Her original pieces can be found in the "expansive foyer" of her home. She also spoke to EW about it being a good source for downtime!
4 She's A Foodie
Avril has never been shy about her love of finding favourite and delicious food! She has had a well-documented preference for pizza, and she sang about her teenage experience of working in the fast food industry in the song "My World," but Avril really doesn't have a limit on the food she loves.
Avril dished about her food faves in a questionnaire with Us Weekly. She details her balance between healthier foods and her favourite "cheat meal," a dish called Poutine! Making poutine is simple. According to Avril, "It's melted curd cheese on french fries with gravy!"
3 Avril: The Actress
2006 was a big year for our favourite "punk princess!" Not only did she marry Deryck Whibley, Avril technically made her acting debut! She lent her voice to a character for the animated movie Over The Hedge, to the delight of all older siblings who wanted a reason to bring their younger sisters to see the movie and still have their Avril fix.
The experience of appearing on film resonated with Avril. She revealed to Us Weekly that acting is one of her passions. Avril has big plans, as she went on to add, "My next goal in life is movie making!"
2 She's Cool With Her Exes
There's the saying "breaking up is hard to do" and it must be downright unimaginable to break up when you're in the spotlight. Hardly any of us normies could possibly imagine what it's like to divorce as a famous person. For Avril, though, the "sk8er grrl" has managed to be everyone's dream ex-partner by demonstrating an enviable sense of maturity because she's been able to get along with, and remain close to, both Deryck Whibley and Chad Kroeger after their respective divorces were finalized.
When talking about her exes, Avril said, "I've had really good relationships and connections, and bonds," according to Just Jared.
1 Avril's Into The Stars
Anyone who has ever been a devotee to astrology knows there has to be something meaningful among the stars and galaxies, and astrological charts help those of us in search of answers to life's most intricate questions!
If you're a fan of wondering what the stars have in store, know Avril is just like you. In fact, she even brought her former husband into the starry side of the universe. A few years ago, Vice reported that Avril and Chad Kroeger "really believe in astrology."
Star signs can hold a lot of meaning, and we wonder what they have in store for this fabulous woman.
References: People, Digital Spy, Canada Cool, Us, Just Jared, MTV, NME, NBC News, Us, Today, E! News, Fuse, MTV, Rolling Stone, Vice, Billboard, Vice, Entertainment Weekly, Mix108
