Claim: Avril Lavigne is a Canadian.

Avril Ramona Lavigne -LRB- -LSB- ˈævrɪl_ləˈviːn -RSB- -LSB- avʁil laviɲ -RSB- -RRB- -LRB- born 27 September 1984 -RRB- is a Canadian singer-songwriter and actress . By the age of 15 , she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain ; by 16 , she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more than $ 2 million . In 2002 she released her debut album , Let Go , emphasising a skate punk persona in which she has been often referred by critics and music publications as The `` Pop Punk Queen '' due to her achievement and impact in the industry . Lavigne is considered a key musician in the development of pop punk music since she paved the way for female-driven punk-influenced pop music . Since her professional debut , Lavigne has sold more than 40 million albums and over 50 million singles worldwide making her the 2nd best selling Canadian Female Artist of all time , only behind Celine Dion .   Let Go made Lavigne the youngest female soloist to reach number 1 in the UK . As of 2013 , it has sold nearly 7 million copies in the United States and over 20 million copies worldwide . Her breakthrough single , `` Complicated '' , peaked at number 1 in many countries around the world , as did the album Let Go . Her second studio album , Under My Skin , was released in May 2004 and was her first album to peak at number 1 on the US Billboard 200 , eventually selling more than 12 million copies worldwide .   The Best Damn Thing , Lavigne 's third album , was released in April 2007 , becoming her third number 1 album in the UK Albums Chart and featuring her first US Billboard Hot 100 number 1 single , `` Girlfriend '' . Lavigne has scored six number-one singles worldwide , including `` Complicated '' , `` Sk8er Boi '' , `` I 'm with You '' , `` My Happy Ending '' , `` Nobody 's Home '' , and `` Girlfriend '' . Lavigne is one of the top-selling artists releasing albums in the US , with over 12 million copies certified by the RIAA . Her fourth studio album , Goodbye Lullaby , was released in March 2011 . Goodbye Lullaby gave Lavigne her fourth top 10 album on the US Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart and her third number 1 album in both Japan and Australia . Three months after the release of Goodbye Lullaby , Lavigne began work on her eponymously titled fifth studio album , which was released by Epic Records on 1 November 2013 following her departure from RCA Records in 2011 .   Lavigne took a break from recording music , pursuing careers in feature film acting and designing clothes and perfumes . She voiced Heather , a Virginia opossum , in the animated film Over the Hedge in 2006 . That same year , she made her on-screen feature film debut in Fast Food Nation . In 2008 , Lavigne introduced her clothing line , Abbey Dawn , and in 2009 she released her first perfume , Black Star , which was followed by Forbidden Rose in 2010 , and Wild Rose in 2011 . In July 2006 , Lavigne married her boyfriend of two years , Deryck Whibley , lead singer and guitarist for Sum 41 . The marriage lasted four years . In October 2009 , Lavigne filed for divorce . Whibley and Lavigne continued to work together , with Whibley producing her fourth album , as well as Lavigne 's single `` Alice '' , written for Tim Burton 's film Alice in Wonderland .