A Conversation With Avril Lavigne
Mike Ragogna: Your single/video, "What The Hell," is an early slice of your new 15-track album, Goodbye Lullaby.
Avril Lavigne: I've been working on this record for about two years, and it's the most time I've spent on an album. I'm very proud of this record.
MR: Beyond being the artist, what were some of your duties on this one?
AL: I produced two songs for the first time.
MR: What was the লেখা process like?
AL: I've always written every song on my albums, I've co-written them all. On this record though, I wrote half of the record দ্বারা myself. So, I'm very excited about that.
MR: Where did আপনি record the project and what do আপনি think of your new single?
AL: I recorded this record at my প্রথমপাতা studio. "What The Hell" is very spontaneous lyrically and it's a lot of fun. The rest of my album is very different from the single, it's very stripped down and raw.
MR: "Alice" also appears on the album, which is a track আপনি did for the film Alice In Wonderland, right?
AL: Yeah! That's the first end credit song. That was a really awesome experience.
MR: In a nutshell, can আপনি tell me what that's about?
AL: Basically, knowing that this was for a Tim burton film, I went for a darker, moodier approach for the songwriting. So, I took to my পিয়ানো and thought about Alice going into Wonderland, falling into this hole and tripping out, and her journey--her having to be strong and get through it. I'm really excited to also put this song on the album because it's the message on my record. It's about life's journey and finding inner strength.
MR: And there's your "What The Hell" video, what's the basic concept?
AL: The concept of the video is a guy who really likes a girl and is chasing after her around town, but she just wants to have fun. That's basically what the song is about so that's the concept for the video.
MR: Who directed it?
AL: Marcus Raboy
MR: Do আপনি think Goodbye Lullaby represents a noticeable growth from your first album?
AL: A hundred percent. That's what this album is about, personal growth, moving forward, and opening a new chapter of life.
MR: Yet "What The Hell" is such a fun recording.
AL: The thing about "What The Hell" is that I'm promoting this album Goodbye Lullaby that's a deeper, আরো raw record. It's something that I keep talking about in depth...("What The Hell") doesn't sound like anything on this record, it's a full on pop-rock song, funny and very light. The record has a lot আরো depth to it. The purpose of ("What The Hell") was to come out after not having a song for a few years to bridge into the new songs. I'm looking অগ্রবর্তী to people hearing the new stuff.
MR: Now, you've also been in a couple of চলচ্চিত্র such as Fast খাবার Nation.
AL: My goal is I would প্রণয় to be in a movie, but being a singer, I have to do it right and it has to be done cool. If I did a movie where I was a singer, that to me wouldn't be that cool. I would need to play something that was challenging as a character, I would প্রণয় to do something dark and moody. At the same time, I totally think I could play a Valley Girl--a ditzy, funny, over the শীর্ষ girl. I've had the opportunity to do সঙ্গীত videos, which I sort of get to act in. When I was younger, I did theater and was in plays, so it's cool. That's what I would want to do some day. Yeah I was in Fast খাবার Nation in which I was in 7 scenes. I also did a voiceover in Over The Hedge which was a Dreamworks animated film.
MR: And of course, আপনি also have a fragrance line.
AL: I have two fragrances out at the moment--one is called Black তারকা and the other is Forbidden Rose. I give them to my mom's sister and my grandma loves them. I will give them to my বন্ধু and there is body wash and lotion, and my girlfriend will be like, "Oh my God, my boyfriend came out of the ঝরনা smelling like আপনি today!" It's cool to have that stuff to give it to my বন্ধু and family, to have it for myself.
MR: And you've got another product line as well, right?
AL: One project that's really cool and I'm really excited about is my clothing line. It's called Abbey Dawn, I started it two and a half years ago. I just launched www.abbydawn.com which is a huge deal internationally because I travel a lot to Asia and Europe. It's been really cool because fashion and my সঙ্গীত career go hand in hand. I নকশা for myself, I wear all the stuff, and being a girl and getting to নকশা clothes is super cool. I get so much inspiration from my travels and going to other countries, checking out different trends internationally.
MR: Sweet. What উপদেশ do আপনি have for new artists?
AL: Make sure whatever আপনি do and put out there really resembles and represents you. That's a part of আপনি and that's a part of your identity and that's the rest of your life and career.