From a French Canadian family, Avril Lavigne (September 27, 1984) first came to
attention in 1998 when she won a talent competition to appear on stage with
Shania Twain. Local folk singer Steve Medd invited her to sing on his albums
which helped her discovery by major label Arista. She fought to get Arista to
allow her to record her own songs and worked with production team The Matrix on
her 2002 studio debut Let Go. The album turned her into a household name in both
Canada and the US, and at the age of 17, she became the youngest female artist
to have a UK Number 1 album. Helped...