26 February 2022

Avril Lavigne found teenage stardom “really awkward”.

Avril Lavigne struggled to deal with fame

The 37-year-old singer shot to fame during her teens, after releasing her debut album, ‘Let Go’, in 2002 – and Avril admits she wasn’t comfortable with the attention that came her way.

She shared: “I was so young and so shy. Being on camera for the first time and talking was really awkward for a teenager.

“I envied bands – because all five of the guys get to do interviews together and travel together and go on stage together. But it’s always just been me by myself for my whole career.”

Avril acknowledges that her early hits – including ‘Sk8er Boi’ and ‘Complicated’ – will always define her career.

She told the BBC: “It’s quite an extraordinary thing that’s happened.

“I look back and feel very humble. Honestly, all I really cared about as a little girl was just singing. I didn’t even know what Hollywood was, or a record deal, and it all came together.”

Despite this, Avril still lives her life in a relatively normal way.

And the chart-topping star believes that fame has largely passed her by.

She said: “In a weird way, it didn’t really hit me – and it almost still hasn’t. I feel like I’m grounded and I’m normal. I cook, I go grocery shopping, I do normal things – and then I have my career.

“I kind of separate it. There’s these crazy achievements that have happened, but I don’t think about them.”

Avril also admires the teenage stars of today, like Olivia Rodrigo.

The singer reflected: “It’s cool seeing other female artists out there at the same age I was when I started out. They’re writing about the things they’re going through at that age – dating for the first time, breaking up for the first time, all those intense emotions.

“I love seeing them and the success they’ve had as singer-songwriters.”