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Avril Lavigne hosted the Juno Awards in 2022, performing a medley of her greatest hits. Throughout the event, which felt like a victory lap, several artists described Lavigne’s influence.
Naturally, I was skeptical of this much-hyped teenage pop prodigy, whose music was suddenly everywhere.
But despite my best efforts, I found myself drawn to Lavigne’s music, pressing my ear against the wall between my room and my sister’s, trying to sneak a listen to earworms like “Complicated” or “Sk8er Boi,” punchy songs that expertly combined crunchy guitars and sticky pop-punk hooks, delivered with a subtle country twang.
The music was wholesome, sure, but there was also an edge to it — the soaring power ballad “I’m With You” contained a tangible rawness and emotional depth that felt like an oasis amid the arid soundscape of Y2K pop music; a soundscape saturated by bland hits by the Back-street Boys, Britney Spears and Smash Mouth.
“Let Go,” which was released when Lavigne was just 17, was a monster commercial success — the album went seven times platinum in the United States and sold 16 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling album of the 21st century by a Canadian artist.
It wasn’t just her emo pop-punk sound. Lavigne’s style — skater shoes, baggy shorts, necktie, heavy eyeliner — had an immediate impact on pop culture. She spawned a cluster of imitators, from Fefe Dobson to Hilary Duff, and helped pave the way for a wave of popular pop-punk bands like Simple Plan and Good Charlotte. Though I stuck to Led Zeppelin T-shirts, my sister’s wardrobe was transformed into an Avril shrine (to this day it has not recovered).
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 28, 2024 من Toronto Star.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 28, 2024 من Toronto Star.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
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