Avril Lavigne returned to the spotlight on Wednesday September 19th, stronger than ever as she released her first song in five years. The Canadian singer/song-writer, who is reportedly working on her sixth studio album, released the emotional track ‘Head Above Water’, after teasing fans with snippets for the past few weeks.
In a heartfelt letter to fans, Lavigne shared both her struggles and creative process. “One night, I thought I was dying, and I had accepted that I was going to die. My mom laid with me in bed and held me. I felt like I was drowning. Under my breath, I prayed, ‘God, please help to keep my head above the water.’ In that moment, the song-writing of this album began. It was like I tapped into something. It was a very spiritual experience. Lyrics flooded through me from that point on.”
This comes after the ‘Here’s to Never Growing Up’ singer issued an emotional message to fans, earlier this month, promising to release a comeback single this month as well as speaking out on the “worst years of her life”. Speaking about how her battle with the disease influenced her song-writing, Lavigne, said: “Five years have gone by since I released my last album. I spent the last few years at home sick fighting Lyme Disease. Those were the worst years of my life as I went through both physical and emotional battles. I was able to turn that fight into music I’m really proud of. I wrote songs in my bed and on the couch and recorded there mostly as well. Words and lyrics that were so true to my experience came pouring out of me effortlessly. Truly… by keeping my spirits up, having goals to reach and a purpose to live for, my music helped to heal me and keep me alive.”
The pop-punk singer has not released an album since her self-titled record in 2013, having been largely home-ridden because of a battle with Lyme disease after being diagnosed in 2015. During this time, Lavigne announced that she had split from husband, Nickelback frontman, Chad Kroeger, after two years of marriage in September 2015. The singer briefly returned to the spotlight last year when she performed her first live show in three years by reuniting with Nickelback on stage, while they were performing at the Greek Theatre in LA.
