Avril Lavigne is a French and Canadian singer-songwriter. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more than $2 million. In 2002, when she was 17 years old, Lavigne broke onto the music scene with her debut album Let Go. Since her professional debut, she has become one of the most successful artists in the world, selling more than 30 million albums and over 50 million singles worldwide.

Themes in Lavigne’s music include messages of self-empowerment from a female or an adolescent view. Lavigne believes her “songs are about being yourself no matter what and going after your dreams even if your dreams are crazy and even if people tell you they’re never going to come true.

After releasing Goodbye Lullaby, Lavigne announced that work on her fifth studio album had already begun, with eight songs written so far. The new album will musically be the opposite of Goodbye Lullaby, with a release date rumored for sometime in 2012. Lavigne explained, “Goodbye Lullaby was more mellow, [but] the next one will be pop and more fun again. I already have a song that I know is going to be a single, I just need to re-record it!” In late 2011, Lavigne confirmed that she had moved to Epic Records, which is now headed by L.A. Reid – Don’t miss your chance to catch Avril!