October 2002

Why should I care about Avril Lavigne?
Because at 17 things singer/songwriter and self-proclaimed skater punk has already taken her native Canada by storm. Her debut album, Let Go, has gone platinum in the US and after one listen to the highly contagious new single Complicated, it's hard not to see why. This girl is going to be huge!

At just 17?
Well believe it or not, she's something of a veteran. "I've been performing since I was two, and a couple of years ago, I started making a name for myself. This producer asked me to work with him and that's how Arista heard about me. Then things started to flip out! I left Canada at 15 and haven't looked back since!"

And she's a rock chick? Yes siree! "I was born to rock 'n' roll," trills Avril. "I definitely see myself as a rock chick and when people refer to me as a pop chick, I'm like, 'Nooo!' My favorite bands are rock bands like Blink 182 and Sum 41 but people tend to compare me to Alanis Morrissette. I think that's because we're both Canadian and have long hair!" she jokes.

So she writes all her own material?
She certainly does. "I started writing when I was twelve just after I taught myself to play the guitar," she reveals. "At first proving to the record company that I could write was touch. They tried offering me other people's songs to record, and I had to fight and say, 'No, I can write my own.' Thankfully they took a chance on m. My lyrics are real and honest - I just splurge all my feelings out on paper!"

So what's Complicated all about?
It's not about anyone in particular," she admits. "It's just a song about life, people being fake, and relationships. There's another song on the album called Losing Grip, which is about an ex. He just didn't give me what I needed emotionally. Luckily, I'm over it now, and hey, I managed to get a good song out of it!"

And she reckons she has what it takes to crack the UK?
"I hope so," she says modestly. "I came over to the UK for the first time in July to play a gig - it sold out even though I hadn't released anything yet, which was just incredible! I like the UK and in a couple of years I'd like to be established here. Especially since you guys have the best fish and chips in the world!"