She is a key musician in the development of pop-punk music, as she paved the way for female-driven, punk-influenced pop music in the early s. Her accolades include eight Grammy Award nominations. At age 16, Lavigne signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut album, Let Go , is the best-selling album of the 21st century by a Canadian artist. It yielded the successful singles " Complicated " and " Sk8er Boi ", which emphasized a skate punk persona and earned her the title " Pop-Punk Queen " and "Pop Punk Princess" from music publications.
Her second album, Under My Skin , became Lavigne's first to reach the top of the Billboard chart in the United States, going on to sell 10 million copies worldwide. Lavigne's third album, The Best Damn Thing , reached number one in seven countries worldwide and saw the international success of its lead single " Girlfriend ", which became her first single to reach the top of the Billboard Hot in the United States.
Her next two albums, Goodbye Lullaby and Avril Lavigne , saw continued commercial success and were both certified gold in Canada, the United States, and other territories. After releasing her sixth album, Head Above Water , she returned to her pop punk roots with her seventh album, Love Sux She was named Avril the French word for April by her father. When Lavigne was 5, the family moved to Napanee now incorporated as Greater Napanee , [ 9 ] a town with a population of approximately 5, at the time.
To support her musical interests, her father bought her a microphone, a drum kit, a keyboard, and several guitars, and converted their basement into a studio.
Her father often played bass at the church the family attended, the Third Day Worship Centre in Kingston. When Lavigne was 14 years old, her parents took her to karaoke sessions.
