Avril Lavigne

Avril Lavigne Whibley[9] better known by her birth name of Avril Lavigne (pronounced /ˈævrɨl ləˈviːn/; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian Grammy award-nominated pop punk singer, musician, fashion designer and actress. In 2006, Canadian Business Magazine ranked her the seventh most powerful Canadian in Hollywood.[10]

Lavigne's debut album, Let Go, was released in 2002. Over 16 million copies were sold worldwide[11] and it was certified six times platinum in the United States.[12] Her second and third albums, Under My Skin (2004) sold 8 million copies and The Best Damn Thing (2007) currently over 5 million copies sold[13] 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.[14] She's ranked #50 on VH1's "50 Greatest Women Of The Video Era" show list and came 41st on "The Top Acts Of The Noughties".[citation needed] In December 2007, Lavigne was ranked at #7 in the Forbes "Top 20 Earners Under 25", with an annual earnings of $12 million.[15] Currently, Avril Lavigne has sold about 30 million albums worldwide.

Lavigne was born in Belleville, Ontario on September 27, 1984, the daughter of Judy and John Lavigne.[16][17] Lavigne's birth name is usually pronounced in an anglicized way as above ("La-Veen"). In French, it is commonly pronounced /avʁil laˈviɲ/ (help·info)). Avril is French for "April", while la vigne means "the vineyard". Her parents are devout Baptists[18][19][20][21] and her father is French-Canadian.[22] Lavigne's mother was the first to spot young Lavigne’s talent. At the age of two, Lavigne began singing along with her mother on church songs. The family moved to Napanee, Ontario, when Lavigne was five years old.