Avril Ramona Lavigne was born in Napanee, Ontario, to parents Judy and John on September 27th, 1984. She has a brother named Matthew and a younger sister named Michelle.  But she was always the feisty one and spent most of her school years getting into trubble. Avril's music was born when she got grounded, it gave her the time (and inspiration) to write her first album, Let Go.

At the age of 14, Avril had been into music since the age of 2, performing in localmusicals, village fairs and, thanks to devout Christian family, at church. Until theage of 12 she'd just been a singer, but she decided she wanted more. So she taught herself to play guitar, andfound a new way of making her parents proud, too. "I taught myself on my dad's guitar," she says. "I started writing lines here and there and they grew into songs. I did it on my own, but my parents supported me," she smiles. " I stand up for what I believe."

Avril also ran into trouble because she refused to be manufactured by the record company. As she'd said all along, she just wanted to be herself. So she refused to do what she was told to say, or even wear. "I'm not a fucking product, I'm a human. There are times when I go to photoshoots and there are racks of clothes and I'mlike 'No I'm not wearing any of that," Avril says. "People try to get me to wear high-heeled shoes and cute little shirts and I'm like 'No! It's tempting, girls like to look pretty, but I'm not like that. It's really important that, when I'm on camera I dress and act the way I normally would. I just want to be myself. I don't want to act like someone I'm not.I want the world to know who I really am. I'm sick of people being fake, and two-faced."

Quick facts about Avril

Birthdate: September 27, 1984
Birthplace: Napanee, Ontario, Canada
Height: 5'1"
Shoe Size: 7
Pets: Sam (Minature Schnauzer)

Her family

Dad: John Lavigne
Mom: Judy Lavigne
Brother: Matt Lavigne
Sister: Michelle Lavigne

Her favorites

Artists: Goo Goo Dolls, Blink 182, Sum 41, System of a Down
Pizza Topping: Olives
Colors: Black and Red
Song on 'Let Go': Losing Grip