Writer: Helena San Roque
No, she didn't die. And, no, she wasn't replaced by a doppelgänger like Paul McCartney. The energy of Canadian pop-punk super star Avril Lavigne has been a constant since her debut album Let Go 2002 when she was 16 years old. In her new Album Love Sux, which was released this past February 22, the same unapologetically confident and explosive voice echoes almost 20 years later.
She was 17 when her hit song on the album "Complicated" peaked at number two in the Billboard Hot 100. Now, the video has accumulated and is celebrated as a classic song for early teenagers growing up in the mid-2000s era. One of her newest hits "Bite Me" has received critical acclaim, as a writer for the A.V. Club stated in an article that it was "not only a return to pop-punk, but it also sounds delightfully nostalgic."
Despite her comeback, some long-time fans of pop-punk have stated that some of her more "modern" tracks, such as "Canonball" and "Love It When You Hate Me" are mere examples of her "selling out" to a more younger audience. My response? Personally, I see their point, but, if artists being creative enough to market themselves to a new audience while keeping their originality is "selling out" then, yes, Avril Lavigne sold out. Why? Because she values being smart over being pretentious.
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