Post by Jimmyzz on Jun 29, 2024 6:57:41 GMT
After 22 Years in Music, Pop Punk Princess Avril Lavigne Is Still Relevant
We chatted with the Canadian star about her style evolution, Pinterest mood board and what keeps her motivated.
By : Allie Turner
Jun 28th, 2024
Courtesy of Pinterest.
Straight from the stage at Tinderbox Festival in Denmark, Avril Lavigne’s unmistakable if slightly fatigued voice crackles down the line. It’s 9pm in Denmark and Lavigne is about to get on a bus headed to her next stop on the European leg of her Greatest Hits tour which includes Glastonbury this weekend but the Canadian pop-punk princess is in high spirits despite the hectic schedule.
In addition to touring and appearing at Paris Couture Fashion Week wearing Iris Van Herpen, Lavigne has also just announced a partnership with Pinterest to promote the social media platform’s new board sharing feature which makes it easier for users to share videos of their Pinterest boards across social platforms like Instagram and TikTok with links back to the curated content.
“I have been a long-time user of Pinterest and many of my creative projects start on my personal Pinterest boards,” says Lavigne of the partnership. “It helps me get my ideas straight so that when I am working with my team, everyone is on the same page.”
According to Pinterest, in the past few months searches for the “Avril Lavigne aesthetic” have been up 105% year over year. We caught up with the eight-time Grammy Award nominee to talk about how she uses Pinterest to help inspire her tour fashion looks and how her style has evolved over 22 years in the music industry.
Let’s just start with how you use Pinterest.
“I use Pinterest a lot for music videos, especially for my music video for Head Above Water. For this tour, I used it to put together the different looks that I was going for. But I actually mainly use it for house stuff like decorating.”
I’d really love to talk about where your fashion inspiration comes from and how that’s changed from the Try to Shut Me Up tour to the Love Sux tour.
“My first album was more baggy pants, tomboy, skate shoes. For my second album, Under My Skin, I got into bondage pants. And then I got into wearing little skirts, then I wanted the combat boots and now it’s kind of like rock and roll glam. The casual side of me likes hoodies and a lot of black and spikes. It depends on what I’m doing.”
What are the practical considerations you have to make when you’re trying to dress yourself for a festival? What if it rains and you’re running around the stage? How do you contend with that?
“When it comes to a concert, you’re running around on stage for an hour and a half, so you’re really hot. You don’t want to go out in denim. So I always try to dress comfortable but also cool temperature-wise which is why I like skirts. I just got off stage and today was probably our hottest show this summer. So I dress for the temperature but I also like to have fun with different colours. I play with hot pink and black, neon green and black and orange and black. There’s been colour schemes from the different album cycles, So I cycle through the different colours. Ashton Michael makes my wardrobe and we put a lot of artwork from previous singles and albums on the garments, which is really cool.”
You’ve been around for so long that you actually started a lot of these pop punk fashion trends. Back in the day, I remember when converse and a poofy skirt was completely groundbreaking.
“Yeah, absolutely. I did a lot of red carpets where I’d have a skirt or a dress and not wear a heel with it, just converse or a Doc Marten and honestly, that’s still my vibe today.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/C8mUXtUCrrG
How do you feel about the resurgence of pop punk in recent years, both musically and style wise?
“I’m really excited about it. For me and my friends, it hasn’t gone away, you know? We’re just doing our thing, but I love the fact the newer generation is tapping into it. I think with me specifically, I’m gaining a younger audience the longer and further my career goes on. It’s really rare to be seven albums and seven tours in and still playing arenas. Every night I’m like, ‘This is crazy I’m still doing this’ and I’m really grateful. It’s cool because I’m playing all these rock and roll festivals right now and running into all my favourite bands that I grew up listening to.”
Would you still be doing Head Above Water style music if it wasn’t for this renewed interest in pop punk?
“I went into the studio right before the resurgence of pop punk. I went in knowing I wanted to make a fast album with live guitars and heavy drums. I think it’s really cool how the stars aligned when that release happened, because I was just making that music that I loved with my friends anyway. Making Head Above Water I was in a mellow period in my life and expressed that through music. After that, I was like ‘Alright, I’m ready to rock out again.’”
What’s your favourite song that you’ve written or what’s the album you’re most proud of?
“I’m proud of the 22 years of creating, writing and playing music. Every time I do a tour I’m really proud of it and, like I said, really grateful to still be making music and playing live shows that are massive and seeing people sing along to the old and new songs. That’s truly an incredible experience.”
Do you feel pressure to change and grow as an artist?
“No. I just want to keep doing me and always stay authentic when it comes to making art. You feel where you’re at. For me, more than ever, it’s about having fun.”
Is touring one of the best parts for you or can it get exhausting?
“It’s all great. It’s different. I love connecting with my co-writers and producers in the studio and diving in to that creative process. It’s very fulfilling. And then it’s exciting to get back out out on the road, walk on stage and sing the songs live. It’s really rewarding to watch and hear everybody singing the new songs back to you.”
