April means Avril

Happy April!

April is a challenging month, bringing with it the stress of the end of the semester.  When I've been having a tough day, I often find myself listening to one of my favorite musicians from growing up: Avril Lavigne.

Avril Lavigne is known for her early 2000 hits, including "Complicated" and "Sk8r Boi" and was an icon to tons of young girls in her prime.  I remember my first time I heard "Complicated" was at a 2004 New Year's Eve Party in a version of Karaoke Revolution.  I was hooked.

After that party, I dove directly into Avril Lavigne fandom.  I would check avrillavigne.com almost everyday when I got home from school, I embraced her tomboy style, and bought her debut album, "Let Go".  I played that CD on repeat for hours.

I read all the books I could find about Avril, tried to learn how to skateboard, and stayed up to date on all her latest music releases, and watched her music videos.  When I was a fourth grader, I remember buying the DVD from Avril's My World Tour.  I learned that she was a vegetarian and her favorite food was pizza.  I promptly decided that I would also become a vegetarian, although in retrospect, that's something that needs to be discussed with my family so there are alternate food arrangements (I did become a vegetarian for real a few years later).

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Let Go was my favorite of her albums, and I stayed committed for awhile, only starting to lose interest when she deviated from her "pop punk" look and became a "punk princess" with her Best Damn Thing transition, mostly because of her new love for pink.  I have never been a pink girl.  When I was little I chose purple over pink and to this day stay away from the color when I can.  Anyway, for my 10th birthday, my parents bought me tickets to Avril's Best Damn Tour.  She was my very first concert and I got to experience it with my childhood best friend.

Me and my childhood best friend, Amanda, circa 2009. Unfortunately, I can't find any photos of us from the concert.

Although I moved away from my Avril Lavigne obsession, there is a certain nostalgia that comes from watching or listening to any of her music.  What I'm getting to is just to remind you to embrace your inner Avril.  Whether that's eating pizza, wearing some studs or sweatbands, or belting out your feelings. Take some time to watch her old videos and feel free to sing along!