The Truth About Avril Lavigne

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The
Truth
About
Avril
Lavigne
She’s growing
up. On her
own terms. In
her own way.
Elio Iannacci
finds out what
Canada’s superstar “Girlfriend”
is really all about
Photography by
Max Abadian
Jacket, Alexander
Wang. Tank top,
Donna Karan, Holt
Renfrew. Pant with
suspenders, Lip
Service, Hells Belles.
Necklace, Fabrice;
bracelets, Diesel and
H&M, belt, Brave
Beltworks.
Opposite page:
Jacket, Alexander
Wang. Dress, Lip
Service, Hells Belles.
For where-to-buy,
see Stylesource.
Photography, Max
Abadian; hair and
makeup, Christian
Bier; styling, Rita
Liefhebber; fashion
director, Elizabeth
Cabral.
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Coat, Prada,
Holt Renfrew.
Sweater, H&M.
Bracelet, Gas,
Fabrice.
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p
icture it: you’re a 17-yearold singer-songwriter who’s been busting her chops trying to get noticed, then,
faster than you can say “Complicated,”
you have the biggest hit in the world.
Money starts pouring in and you’re propelled from small-town living to the high
life. Soon, you start demanding imported
bottled water and more designer labels
than a department store can stock, and
you get it all. In fact, you get pretty much
anything you want, whenever you want
it. You ultimately decide to semiretire at
20, opting to put out an album whenever
you feel like it and get people to do all
the work and set your career on coast.
Sound good to you? Well, it’s not the
Avril Lavigne story. Not even close. The
truth is a lot more complicated.
Yes, Avril Ramona Lavigne Whibley did
have her first hit at 17, scooped up eight
Grammy nominations before she hit age
20, then bought a house and married a
rock star (Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley)
before turning 22, but things were not
easy. To get to where she is now (23 and
living in a mansion in Hollywood), she
had to go for months without seeing family, friends or a home-cooked meal due
to a hectic touring/promo schedule that
lasted more than three years. The grueling schedule had Lavigne crisscrossing
the Atlantic 10 times over and enduring a life that few teens could deal with.
Between the chaos of it all, she learned
how to oversee, approve and supervise
everything with her name on it. For
example, before stepping onto the set
of FLARE’s photo shoot, she requested
to see—and approve—every piece of
clothing she was going to wear.
Some might call it “difficult” behaviour,
but she disagrees completely, stating,
“My image is what sets me apart—I’ve
got to be true to myself.” Her drive and
determination is front and centre and
she’s not willing to settle for second best.
If she’s not “feeling” it, be it onstage, in
an interview or on the set of a shoot,
she’ll let you know ASAP (she loved the
clothes on the FLARE set, by the way,
saying, “I appreciate that you guys didn’t
try to change my style”).
If speaking up means making a few
mistakes along the way, then so be it.
The point is, Lavigne has always tried to
stay in control of her career no matter
what crossed her path and, suffice it to
say, she’s done a pretty good job of keeping herself ahead of the game (five hits
that reached No. 1 worldwide). In the
interest of providing the full picture of
what and who Avril Lavigne is, here are a
few facts about her you need to know.
Avril’s career was not
handed to her on a
silver platter.
While most teens her age spent the days
shopping in malls, she was working them.
Lavigne toured about 20 Canadian malls
to promote her debut recording, Let Go.
Her second and third albums didn’t come
easy, either. Under My Skin, which sold
more than 17 million copies worldwide,
and her latest disc, The Best Damn
Thing, which debuted at No. 1, were the
result of two world tours and thousands
of interviews.
She can already release a
greatest hits CD with only
three albums to her credit.
Besides her two latest hits, “Girlfriend”
and “When You’re Gone” (and co-penning one of Kelly Clarkson’s biggest hits,
“Breakaway”), Avril has 10 singles that
have hit the Billboard top-20.
She’s doing a Canadian
tour next year.
“This year, I’m playing European festivals, but I’ll be in Canada in 2008. I’ve
created my set lists and I’ve been thinking about my backdrops, staging, lighting and who I want onstage with me. I
feel like my show has only ever been
good—now, I want it to be awesome. I’m
never satisfied, but the more experience
I have, the better I get.”
She has a theory on the
misconceptions about her.
“I think part of the reason why some
people don’t like me is because I’m a
bold, strong character. My personality
is what-you-see-is-what-you-get and
very honest. I’m not a bullsh***er and I
can’t lie. So I’ve always been really real.
Sometimes, I come across like a bitch,
but I am a strong person. I’d rather be
strong than weak.”
She’s actually a fair but
firm boss to work for.
One of her longtime musical collaborators, Evan Taubenfeld (who helped Avril
write more than a dozen songs over the
past six years), says that working with
Lavigne has been “more of a learning
experience for me than her.” A studied musician for more than 15 years,
Taubenfeld insists: “Even back when
she was 17, she [embodied] the identity
and the flavour that is imprinted in her
music—her personality is the DNA and
soul of her sound. We all just helped
her find it, but she knows exactly what
she wants.”
She is not expecting her
first child (contrary to blog
reports).
And with her current world tour in the
works—including headlining at California’s
GirlFrenzy (a rockier Lilith Fair–like allfemale concert with Sheryl Crow and
Fiona Apple)—odds are she’s not planning on having children any time soon.
She never lets anyone
control her image.
“I didn’t want to wear pretty clothes,
so I didn’t. I wasn’t allowed to do certain magazines because they wanted
to put me in their clothes, but I’m glad
I did what I wanted to do, and it’s a
good thing.”
She’s a leader onstage
and in the studio. Not a
follower.
One of her main musical producers, Dr.
Luke, who has worked with the likes of
Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson and Pink,
says that collaborating with Lavigne is
not a one-way street. “When you’re
writing with Avril Lavigne, she’s the
boss. She’s never filling in the blanks—
she’s coming up with full-blown concepts. She knows what kind of record
she wants to make, just like she knows
how she wants to style herself. She has
a vision, and it’s hers, wholeheart- >
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edly. The only reason she is a target
for people like Perez Hilton is that she
doesn’t kiss ass.”
She looks up to Yoko Ono
and John Lennon.
“ ‘Imagine’ is one of the best songs
ever written—it has so much meaning.
I was proud to be able to cover it [for
the recent CD Instant Karma: The
Amnesty International Campaign to
Save Darfur]. John and Yoko are the
only ones who have ever really done
anything so [outrageous]. I couldn’t
really see myself letting photographers
into Deryck’s and my bedroom, but I
could see myself taking a stand for peace
and love. I really admire what they did
and how involved they were in creating
peace. It takes a certain kind of person
and a lot of sacrifice.”
She doesn’t like anyone
messing with the remote
control while she’s watching television.
the fan’s choice award because it meant
so much to me. I’ve been through so
much sh** from the press, but I’ve been
working so hard for five years and the
people picked me anyway. That really
touched me.”
She hasn’t had much man
trouble—contrary to her
I-hate-bad-boys songs.
“I didn’t have a ton of awful relationships. I’ve had fallings-out with friends,
but I think any experience—whatever
level, whatever it is—can make for a
good song. ‘I Can Do Better’ is about
that; it’s really an empowering song. It’s
about moving on from a bad friendship
or situation and not just settling for the
sake of settling.”
She knows where her
money goes. Every penny.
“Lost is my favourite show, and I like 24.
I love MuchMusic even though I don’t
live [in Canada] because they actually
play videos, and MTV doesn’t play them
anymore. When I was younger, it was
so fun to come home from school, put
MuchMusic on and have videos playing
all night.”
Last year, Canadian Business magazine
added Avril to its annual Celebrity Power
List, a ranking of Canadian actors with
clout in Hollywood (Lavigne voiced one
of the characters in the animated flick
Over the Hedge and also made a cameo
in Fast Food Nation). Tina Kennedy, a
member of her management team (along
with Terry McBride) for four years, says,
“Avril is very involved in every aspect of
her career—including her finances. She
approves everything.”
She’s cool with seeing old
photos of herself.
She learned how to sing in
church.
“I love seeing the ‘Complicated’ and
‘Sk8er Boi’ videos because I was so different then. I acted like such a tomboy
and was so tough inside. Not so much
now. I mean, it’s still with me a bit, but
I’ve grown up.”
“I sang so many Christmas songs in
Christmas concerts when I was young.
Those church plays and musicals really
developed my voice because the songs
were good training. I scream a lot on my
records, but I have a new song on The
Best Damn Thing called ‘Innocence’
that showcases my vocal performance.”
She was not born in
Napanee, Ont.
Avril was actually born in Belleville, Ont.,
but her parents moved to Napanee when
she was five. She did grow up in Napanee
and, when she goes back, she visits her
favourite pizza place, La Pizzeria. “They
have a fan book for me where everyone
signs something, and they give it to me
when it gets filled.”
She’s learned how to be
emotional. And she’s fine
with it. Really.
“I bawled my eyes out at the MuchMusic
Video Awards [this year] when I won
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She had a recent go at
modelling, but it didn’t suit
her. At all.
Although her mother, Judy Lavigne, told
us that her daughter has “always been
photogenic—even as a little girl” while
on the set for FLARE’s photo shoot,
Avril recently discovered that modelling wasn’t her scene: “I used to be with
Ford Models. I signed up with them
so they could deal with any endorsement offers, but I parted with them after
a year because I’m not a model—I’m
an artist—and I need people who
represent me who are used to working
with artists.”
She works hard for the
money. Her idol says so.
Canadian DJ/performer Peaches, cited
as one of Avril’s favourite artists (who
reportedly inspired the song “I Don’t
Have to Try” off The Best Damn Thing),
has nothing but good things to say about
Lavigne. “She is a huge superstar and
she is a young girl, but she’s also a hard
worker,” says the Toronto-born musician.
“Avril has to be. Musicians aren’t living
the life. She has to be present and on at
all times. I’m glad she was influenced by
me; it brought more attention to my song.
All of a sudden, half a million people are
listening to my music because of her.”
She doesn’t listen to heavy
metal all day. She likes
pop, too.
“I have the new Nelly Furtado album.
I love the songs ‘Say It Right’ and ‘All
Good Things.’ I’ve seen Christina Aguilera
in concert, too. I love Rihanna’s song
‘Umbrella,’ and Fergie is cool.”
She’s still a Sum 41 groupie.
“Deryck has an amazing show. You don’t
even have to know his music because
he’s just such a good frontman,” she
says, beaming about her man. “But the
same goes for Billie Joe from Green
Day—they’re just both so good. It’s
always good for me to see what other
performers do. I can always learn—like
what microphone stand they have or
how they talk to the crowd.”
She’s got a love/hate/
love thing about living in
Hollywood.
“I still hate the paparazzi, but I love the
weather and I love the restaurants and
the shopping on Melrose.”
She has no complaints
about life. Absolutely
none.
“Ever since I was 16, I didn’t give a damn
about what anyone thought. No one’s
opinion mattered to me and I just went
out and did my own thing. I stuck to
my guns, followed my gut and did what
I wanted to do, and it worked. I don’t
believe in regrets and I never will.” ■
Want Avril’s cover look? Get it at
flare.com/beautyshot
www.fl are.com
09/21/2007 04:47:51 PM