September 27: Singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne is 27-years-old today.

Born Avril Ramona Lavigne in Belleville, Ontario (although she spent most of her youth in the town  of Napanee, Ontario), Avril is also a fashion designer and and actress in addition to her musical gifts.

At 15, Avril appeared on stage with Shania Twain, and by 16, Lavigne had signed a recording contract with Arista, (now part of RCA Records.) Record executive Antonio "L.A." Reid offered her a two-album deal worth more than $2 million. When she was 17 years old, Lavigne broke onto the music scene with her debut album, Let Go, released in 2002.

Let Go made Lavigne the youngest female soloist to reach #1 in the UK, and the album was certified four-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. As of 2009, over 16 million copies had been sold worldwide, more than 6 million of which were sold in the US. Her breakthrough single, "Complicated," peaked at #1 in many countries around the world.

Her second album, Under My Skin, was released in 2004 and was her first album to peak at #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling more than 10 million copies worldwide.

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-- "Innocence"

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The Best Damn Thing, Lavigne’s third album, was released in 2007 -giving Avril her third #1 album in the UK Albums Chart and featured her first U.S. Billboard Hot 100 single, "Girlfriend."

Lavigne has had five #1 singles worldwide, including "Complicated," "Sk8er Boi," "I'm With You," "My Happy Ending" and "Girlfriend."

Three months after the release of her fourth album, Goodbye Lullaby early in 2011, Lavigne announced that work on her fifth studio album had already begun, with eight songs written so far. she said the new album will musically be the opposite of Goodbye Lullaby.

In July 2011, Lavigne revealed the title of two of the songs from her fifth album as "Fine" and "Gone." The tracks were originally recorded for Goodbye Lullaby but never made the final cut. It is expected to be released in 2012.

On September 23, 2011, Lavigne appeared in the Hub network show Majors & Minors as a guest mentor, alongside other singers including Adam Lambert and Leona Lewis.

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