Lavigne’s birth name is usually pronounced in an anglicized way as above (”La-Veen”) (in French it is commonly pronounced /av?il la’vi?/. Avril is French for “April”, while la vigne means “the vine” or “the vineyard”.

Lavigne’s debut album, Let Go, was released in 2002. Over 18 million copies were sold worldwide and it was certified six times platinum in the United States. Her second and third albums, Under My Skin (2004) sold 12 million copies and The Best Damn Thing (2007) currently 5 million copies sold, respectively, reached number one on the U.S. Billboard 200. Lavigne has scored six number one songs worldwide to date and a total of eleven top ten hits, including “Complicated”, “Sk8er Boi”, “I’m with You”, “My Happy Ending”, and “Girlfriend” which became #1 hits in the ARC Top 40. She’s ranked #50 on VH1’s “50 Greatest Women Of The Video Era” show list. Currently, Avril Lavigne has sold about 35 million albums worldwide.