A Conversation with Avril Lavigne – HuffPost 2.10.11
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 writing 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 by myself. So, I’m very excited about that.
MR: Where did you record the project and what do you think of your new single?
AL: I recorded this record at my home 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 you 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 you 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 piano 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 you 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 Lullabythat’s a deeper, more 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 more 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 forward to people hearing the new stuff.
MR: Now, you’ve also been in a couple of movies such as Fast Food Nation.
AL: My goal is I would love 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 love to do something dark and moody. At the same time, I totally think I could play a Valley Girl–a ditzy, funny, over the top girl. I’ve had the opportunity to do music 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 Food 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, you also have a fragrance line.
AL: I have two fragrances out at the moment–one is called Black Star 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 friends and there is body wash and lotion, and my girlfriend will be like, “Oh my God, my boyfriend came out of the shower smelling like you today!” It’s cool to have that stuff to give it to my friends 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 music career go hand in hand. I design for myself, I wear all the stuff, and being a girl and getting to design 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 advice do you have for new artists?
AL: Make sure whatever you do and put out there really resembles and represents you. That’s a part of you and that’s a part of your identity and that’s the rest of your life and career.
Transcribed by Theo Shier