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Issue #10: Avril Lavigne: Life, Discography, and a Secret Doppelgänger!?

November 20, 2025

I was around eight when I listened to "My Happy Ending" and found out about this interesting and complicated artist: Avril Lavigne. I fell in love with her voice, her style, and her personality. So, let me tell you about this awesome woman.

Avril was born September 27th, 1984. She rose to fame by being one of the first pop punk female artists, opening the door for many pop rock singers we know today, like Olivia Rodrigo and even Billie Eilish; who balance vulnerability with attitude.

DISCOGRAPHY

When she released her debut album "Let Go" in 2002, songs like "Complicated” and “Sk8er Boi” resonated with girls who didn’t feel seen in a boy dominated genre. We had more emotional pop songs too, like "Things I'll Never Say" or "Anything But Ordinary"; and even an incredible experimental rock song: "Unwanted".

Then, we got her sophomore album, "Under My Skin" (my personal favourite), with hits like "Nobody's Home" and "My Happy Ending". For this CD, Avril got even more vulnerable with her songwriting, composing tracks such as "Don't Tell Me" and "Slipped Away."

After "Under My Skin",the controversy began. Avril returned with a louder, more playful sound in "The Best Damn Thing" (2007). She showed the world she could be a pop princess too, wearing more pink, but still keeping her characteristic emo-punk style. However, people didn't seem to like this change, which led someone online to create a conspiracy theory.

The theory claimed that Avril had died in the mid 2000s and been replaced by a look-alike named Melissa Vandella. It spread fast across the internet, becoming one of the most famous music conspiracies of all time, backed up with “evidence” like changes in her handwriting, facial features, and her style; which is ridiculous, because on one hand, people always say "she never ages", "she looks the same", but on the other hand, there are people saying that she looks nothing like her older self and that she was obviously replaced.

What’s fascinating is how the theory kept growing, even years later, resurfacing every few years; inviting fans to analyze old photos and compare them to new ones. It became less about Avril herself and more about how the internet loves a mystery.

Avril has addressed the rumor a few times, laughing it off in interviews and calling it “so weird.”

Another common criticism Avril has faced in her career is that she’s “not punk enough” or “not emo enough.” But that’s kind of the point: she never claimed to be an underground punk icon. She has always been a POP punk artist. There's even an interview that resurfaced on TikTok where she claims: "maybe I have some punk characteristics about me, but I don't walk around calling myself punk; it's more punk to tell people you're not punk than sit there and say that you are punk".

As an artist, one of my biggest inspirations is Avril. I have always adored her style, pop combined with rock, pink combined with black, dark eyeliner and Hello Kitty! An underrated song of hers is “Everything Back But You”, its sound inspired my very own song, called “Queen Of Indie Pop” by me, Cadence Wishes!

However, still to this day, Avril Lavigne is Avril Lavigne and she remains an icon. She kept making music, never letting the noise define her. Over the years, she’s released albums that prove her status as the "pop punk princess", from the soft “Goodbye Lullaby” to the powerful comeback “Head Above Water”; and the pop-punk revival that is “Love Sux”.

Fun facts:

  • Avril’s fans are called “Black Stars”, because of the song and perfume by the same name.
  • When Avril was starting out, her first record label wanted her to become a country artist.
  • She was discovered at 15, after winning a radio contest to sing on stage with Shania Twain.
  • Her song “Girlfriend” was one of the first YouTube videos to reach 100 million views in 2008.
  • She launched her own clothing line in 2008: "Abbey Dawn", named after her childhood nickname.
  • She had an official cameo in The Sims 2, specifically, in “The Sims 2: Nightlife”
  • She’s been in a couple of movies, like “Fast Food Nation” and “The Flock”.

Phew, that was all. How did you discover Avril Lavigne? Was it in 2002 with her angsty debut album? Was it in 2005 with her emo songs? Was it when she became a pop punk princess in 2007? Tell me all about it!

- Cadence