Guide Note

Avril Lavigne is a Canadian Grammy award nominated pop/punk singer. She was ranked the seventh most powerful Canadian by Canadian Business Magazine in 2006.

Fast Facts

1. Full name: Avril Ramona Lavigne Whibley
2. Born: September 27, 1984
3. Birthplace: Belleville, Ontario
4. Released her first album when she was 16
5. Married to: Deryck Whibley in 2006
6. Debut Album: Let Go
7. Recent Album: The Best Damn Thing
8. First name means "April" in French
9. August 2008: Malaysia's opposition party tried to prevent Lavigne performing in Kuala Lumpur saying her dance moves were too sexy¹

Lavigne is the daughter of devout Baptists Judy and John Lavigne. At the age of two, Lavigne began singing with her mother in church.

In 1998, she won a competition and was given the opportunity to sing with country singer Shania Twain. She appeared on stage to sing "What Made You Say That".

Lavigne was noticed by her first manager Cliff Fabri when she was singing country songs at an Ontario Chapters bookstore. When she was 16 years old, she signed with Ken Krongard of Arista Records and went to work on her first album.

On June 4, 2002, Lavigne released her debut album Let Go which received four Grammy nominations. Her album was certified platinum six times in the United States, five times in United Kingdom, seven times in Australia, four times in New Zealand, and once in Japan. Lavigne released five singles from this album: "Complicated", "Sk8ter Boi", "I'm With You" "Losing Grip" and "Mobile". Losing Grip has sold over 16 million copies worldwide.

In February, 2004, Lavigne began dating lead singer and guitarist of the punk rock band Sum 41 Deryck Whibley. Whibley proposed to Lavigne by surprising her with a romantic trip to Venice, Italy. The couple married in California on July 15, 2006.