Today's Pick

The punk girl who never grows Avril Lavigne lets her love affair for the beloved Japanese mascot go wild in the music video for the brand new Japanese single "Hello Kitty," the fourth single from the pop/rock singer's self-titled fifth album. Canadian-French singer didn't turn up to be the successful album all Lavigne fans hoped to be, but at least it spawned one Top 20 US hit and made Lavigne play sold-out tours in Asia, and Latin America. However, the new video as a whole is unfortunate and its unlike anything we've seen from the singer-but not necessarily in a good way. It will leave you sad and confused.
Clearly she's been body-snatched for "Hello Kitty," a sugar-coated dance jam that was inspired by a fictional female white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow that was created in 1974 by the Japanese company Sanrio, is about an "aggressive" love with the fictional character, where it includes Lavigne commenting on slumber parties, loving the kitty, having fun and eating. It's a strong electro-pop and pseudo-dubstep song that is heavily influenced by hard rock and pop punk, while it features a dub-step influenced drop. The song is noted as Lavigne's first electronic experimental track in her career to-date.
Lavigne penned this experimental electronic dubstep track about the cute Japanese line that seems to acknowledge its own tokenism by adopting a "J-Pop American Funtime Now!" sheen. "I love Hello Kitty so much there's a song on the record called Hello Kitty. Pink is my favorite color... I'm really excited about this song," she gushed to Ryan Seacrest. "I'm obsessed with Hello Kitty and it's really fun and the sound is different." Not only is this song about Lavigne's love of the Japanese brand but also has a double meaning. "Obviously it's flirtatious and somewhat sexual," she told Digital Spy lyrically, "but it's genuinely about my love for Hello Kitty as well!"
Self-infantalization has always been a mainstay of Lavigne's personal brand, but as she starts creeping towards 30 she's decided to take a page from Gwen Stefani's book and insert herself in a culture that absolutely reveres that sort of thing: hello, Japan! In a candy-colored clip Lavigne shows her love for the distant country as she is flanked by Japanese doll-looking background dancers and attempts to do a choreography around in cute candy stores, eats yummy sushi, and takes photographs like a touring while walking the streets of Tokyo. Mrs. Nickelback is clearly having more fun than any of us on the track. Get ready to be slayed!

Avril Lavigne shows her dramatic side in a haunting new music video for her piano-tinged pop-rock ballad, "Let Me Go," the third single from her upcoming self-titled fifth studio album, which was pushed back from its original September release date, and will hits stores November 5th via Epic. It's no secret that "Let Me Go," Lavigne's duet with husband Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, is an emotional blackout waiting to happen. It's got weepy synths, haunting harmonies, poignant lyrics, and now, an equally sob-inducing music video!
After dropping "Here's To Never Growing Up" and "Rock N Roll," the 29-year-old newlywed Canadian singer-songwriter is giving fans another taste of her upcoming record. The sad love song is a a piano-driven power ballad with elements of pop rock and alternative rock. Its instrumentation features a piano, a string section, an acoustic drum kit, and electric guitars and bass. The punk princess premiered the new track on MYFM Monday morning, and although the duet is with her man, the track is surprisingly a breakup ballad.
Lavigne painfully reminiscing over a failed love, sings: "I'm breaking free from these memories / Gotta let it go, just let it go / I've said goodbye, set it all on fire / gotta let it go, just let it go." Kroeger is featured in the song's second verse, where he sings, "You came back to find I was gone / And that place is empty, like the hole that was left in me." The ironic heartbreak tune with a lush, high drama ballad is reminiscent of many of Lavigne's biggest power ballad hits, including "Losing Grip," "Nobody's Home" and "Keep Holding On."
The newlywed rockers show their softer sides in the dramatic, Chris Sims-directed clip, as Lavigne takes on an old Hollywood glam look with golden curls and a little black dress, as she roams the halls of an abandoned mansion, where she plays the piano and rests on a regal couch, with Kroeger who's playing an ex-lover she's trying to get over as his appearance being channeled through an elderly yardman, only to be seen as his true self through mirrored and tablet-assisted images, and both strum an acoustic guitar in apparent despair. Thy appear together during the song's final chorus.

Avril Lavigne seems to have taken to heart in her brand-new bizarre for her uptempo pop punk-rock offering, "Rock N Roll," the second single from Canadian singer-songwriter's upcoming self-titled fifth studio album, due to hit shelves on September 24 by Epic Records. Lavigne is never (like, ever) growing up, at least when it comes to her two most recent singles. So apparently Lavigne isn't done about telling people to stop growing up and now she's going to show the world the true face of rock and roll. And the video is loud, unsubtle and utterly fantastic.
It seems like forever ago that we were crushing on sk8r bois and putting pink streaks in our hair because we really wanted to be like Avril Lavigne. Well now it's finally time to get the leopard-print hoodies and wristbands back out of the wardrobe, because she's back with her brand new song "Rock N Roll," which is what we'd imagine a punky pop-princess' love song to sound like, as Lavigne sings about not caring if she's a misfit, putting her middle finger up to the sky and being "different when I'm with you."
The Max Martin-produced anthemic pop/rock track, is complete mainstream pop but with a strong rock influence, and a boisterous declaration of rebellion on which the 28-year-old puts up her middle finger to the sky to let 'em know that we're still rock and roll. Lavigne shows off her pure gratitude with this full of attitude, catchy melody, cheeky lyrics and epic production. The track, sonically and thematically, picks up where her first single, "Here's to Never Growing Up," left off, thanks to its sing-along chorus, rocking beat and carpe diem attitude.
The Chris Marrs Piliero-directed steampunk Tank Girl themed clip should be noted, demonstrative of Lavigne's razor-sharp comedy chops and her complete willingness to kiss a girl. It can't exactly be summed up in mere words, features surreal scenes including a makeout session with Wonder Years actress Danica McKellar; a fight with a BearShark, an homage to Guns 'N Roses' "November Rain" video (playing a razorblade guitar-solo as she walking away from a church) and blasting Titanic star Billy Zane into space on a Segway. Lavigne, who declares herself "the motherfreaking princess" on the track, isn't sporting a crown, but instead an army helmet and camo-green bustier.

Avril Lavigne is back, and she's pulled a youthful, brings old her back, takes her fans to the prom and wants to stay young forever in the music video for her new unwilling-adult anthem, "Here's To Never Growing Up," the trailer cut from the Canadian pop/rock singer's upcoming yet-untitled fifth studio album, due in stores in September via Epic Records. The point of the song is unapologetically holding onto that notion of being young at heart. Lavigne, who is now 28-years-old but looks exactly identical to her 17-year-old self in the prom-themed video to her fittingly titled new single.
The pop-punker having been world-famous for over a decade, and having gone through a marriage and a divorce (and with another marriage upcoming), Lavigne has never exactly seemed like an artist likely to go through a difficult, mature phase. Lavigne's defiant immaturity has been a hallmark of her music for as long as she's being around, and now it appears to be getting more willful than ever, as evidenced by her new song, which is basically what it sounds like from its title–an acoustic power ballad-type, Peter Pan-like manifesto about Lavigne and her buds staying "forever young" against all odds, promising that "we're never gonna change."
The medium-tempo rocker is a classic drinking tune, an anthemic shout-along about railing against the onset of maturity in favor of telling people 'Yeah, whatever' and screaming Radiohead tunes. Its melody is immediately and instantly familiar and sounds exactly like her breakthrough 2002 hit "Complicated." The sing-songy track, built around a big, kick-drum stomp, is an aptly-titled salute to staying forever young. "It's a pop rock tune. And it's just about being young, having fun, being present, living in the moment and that's what I love to do," she told Ryan Seacrest. Lavigne has always had an annoyingly mannered delivery, but it reaches new heights on "Here's To Never Growing Up." The rowdy nature of the track certainly makes it an early entry into the round of summer anthems.

Directed by Robert Hale, the visual follows Lavigne and her ex-bandmates Evan Taubenfeld and Devin Bronsonrocking, who are duded up in red plaid tuxedos, while they prepare to perform at a dull high school senior prom. The event livens up once the band kicks in with Lavigne's ode to teenage rebellion. The singer rocks with the band, skateboards down corridors and even dons her signature look from back in her "Complicated" days, board shorts, white tank top and tie. Lavigne seemed to have a blast in the process of filming, so at least she's happy with her unchanged musical style that's been reincarnated from the previous decade. The Queen will be forever young!

Avril Lavigne is typically a tough, punk rock chic who doesn't let anyone or anything get her down. But in her newly released video for "Wish You Were Here," my favorite singer let out her tears and shows her vulnerable side. Written by Lavigne along with producers Max Martin and Shellback, the jangling power ballad serve as the third and possibly last single from Canadian singer's latest CD "Goodbye Lullaby."
"Wish You Were Here" is one of the tracks where Lavigne actually manages to communicate some real sentiment. As the title implies, the mid-tempo ballad, which sings the story of missing a love, features Lavigne lamenting that her beloved isn't around. The 26-year-old explained that this is a song that talks about, "Missing somebody for a day, for a week, for a month. Somebody you've had a falling out with, there's so many different circumstances in life that we all go through when we do truly miss somebody."
The pop-punk princess is overcome with raw emotion as she wails about missing someone dearly and has no problem breaking down her tough-girl wall and letting the waterworks flow and her mascara run in the Marc Webb-directed clip. Lavigne expresses her dismay by rolling around on a dirty floor in what looks like an abandoned room, save a perfect Gerbera daisy, a bathtub and a lighter. It takes a minimalist approach as most of the shots include Lavigne crying, sitting in a bathtubs, and on one occasion setting a flower on fire.
The video begins with Lavigne lying on a wooden floor, surrounded by leaves. She rises, and begins to sing. Lavigne picks up a red flower and begins picking off the petals. She sets the flower on fire, and waves it in the air. As she continues singing, she starts to cry. Towards the bridge, Lavigne is shown lying in a bathtub. She submerges herself, then suddenly bursts out of the tub, as if having made a resolution. Lavigne gets out, and continues singing. It then fades out with her stepping towards the window.

Rihanna gets buddy Avril Lavigne on board in the just-released video for her celebratory tune "Cheers (Drink to That)," serves as the seventh overall single from 23-year-old Barbadian's fifth studio album, "Loud." This grungy party-drinking anthem dedicated to a night on the town is a wise, world-weary paean from a gal at the bar who's seen some stuff, has moved on and wants to buy everybody a round of fruity shots. The video is about letting loose and toasting to the weekend.
Bet you didn't think Avril Lavigne would be sampled anytime soon, but this track samples Lavigne's 2002 ballad "I'm With You," with incorporates the element of dancehall, dance-pop, pop rock, and R&B. About why the decision was made to sample Lavigne, rather than getting the Canadian pop singer to come in and re-record the vocal for the song. "I asked the same thing, but when I heard the track, it was already embedded in the music, so the producers already had it that way," she explained. "But it wouldn't have made a difference. It would have sounded the same. But I'm just glad that we could use her sample, because it became such a huge part of the instrumental that if it were not to be in the song, it would change the whole vibe of the song."
Rihanna told MTV News about this tune: "I love that song. That is one of my favorite songs on the album. It makes you feel like celebrating. It gives you a great feeling inside like you want to go out and have a drink. People can't wait for the weekend." Rihanna also told Spin magazine: "It's a song you would hear in a bar but I think you could also hear it all over pop radio. It's really grungy and melodic and catchy. And the way the producers sampled Avril — it's like she's an instrument. It's really cool how they combined [the song] with her vocals."
There are no special effects, storylines or no chance of lawsuits. The music video shows footage and behind-the-scenes from her concert experiences and performing on tour to her every day life as well as various different activities she did during her homecoming trip to Barbados. It also finds Rihanna in an appropriately celebratory mood and it's mostly a lot of shots of her partying backstage with friends and celebrities. This is probably the most candid and loose we've seen Rihanna as she goes bar hopping and slices open a coconut. Again, that video fit the song, as is the case here.

Treating her many fans to another new offering, Avril Lavigne is back in all her skater chick glory and gets poignant in her newly released video for her uptempo track "Smile," the second single off her latest record, "Goodbye Lullaby." Not the poignancy is totally clear right off the bat: In the opening moments, the First Lady of Mall Punk is mad as hell, and she's not gonna take it anymore. Green-streaked hair and all, Lavigne delivers some choice words in her trademark sneer while rocking out and covering everything from the walls to the camera with spray paint.
"Smile" pays tribute to the special someone who was able to win her heart and put a grin on her face. The lyrics find the singer expressing her gratitude for a special person in her life. Backed up by a punchy drum rhythm and electric guitars, Lavigne offers even more reasons why most normal guys would run in the other direction, then praises her guy for sticking around. The sassy and catchy pop punk track represents Lavigne's best qualities as a pop star, while the tune incorporates talk-singing as well as the bold melodic choruses for which the 26-year-old is known.
Directed by Shane Drake, the video starts out with Lavigne in a white room, spray painting the walls with words, hearts, and posters. She then plugs in her electric guitar, rocks bright green hair extensions and rocks out while smiling. The video then heads outside with broken pieces of glass scattered around the city. The pieces are next to a person as the Canadian punk princess removes them to remove the brokenness of love and then smile returns to the person's face. The punk rocker wants her fans to put on a brave face and smile no matter how hard the situation is.
Throughout the punchy "Smile" video, Lavigne is in full-on punk rock mode. Overall, the video is a boldly visual clip that shifts between scenes splashed with color, like the neon green and white room where Lavigne spends her time rocking the hell out, and the black and white plot footage where Lavigne is strolling through town, picking up pieces of red glass, which is the only color in those particular parts. The red shards eventually turn out to be the pieces of a heart. It's a cute, youthful and loose video that reminds us why we were crushing on Lavigne in the first place. She's so spunky and spirited and she offers a dose of punk rock to the mainstream music scene where she largely camps out.

Avril Lavigne is finally back and ready to release her new fourth studio album, "Goodbye Lullaby," or at least her record label is. The video for the lead single, "What the Hell" debuts on ABC Family today. According to the star, she's been sitting on the album for a year and her label is finally letting it off the shelf. The upcoming album is her first since 2007, and "What the Hell," is the first new material from Lavigne since she contributed the song "Alice" to the soundtrack for Tim Burton's Disney blockbuster "Alice in Wonderland" last year. For me, Lavigne was always the first snotty teenaged popstar with real attitude, and the one of my top five favorite singers of all time!
The 26-year-old pop princess updated her official blog "I have been dying to get back out on the road and do what I love the most... PLAY MUSIC. I know you guys have been waiting for a long time.....and so have I, but not by choice. I have been sitting with this record for a year now. It's really special to me. I have produced a couple tracks alone for the first time, written solo, with friends, I have pushed myself and I feel proud." The long-awaited comeback, "What The Hell?," is a brash, lary wall of pop/rock married with a synthier sound than what we're used to hearing from dear Lavigne, but it's still willing to slap you in the face in with it's whimsical approach to responsibility none-the-less.
Lavigne is as bratty as ever on her new single, the catchy, almost bubbly "What the Hell." The punk-pop starlet described the songs on the album as different from her earlier material: "I'm older now, so I think that comes across in my music, it's not as pop-rock, but more reminiscent of some of my old pop rock stuff. This song is the least personal song to me off this album. It's a fun and funny anthem. It has a broad message about personal freedom. It is the most pop track on the record." The critics also suggest that the song is a "declaration of independence from a former teen star who is storming back onto the scene."
The video was shot last December and directed by Marcus Raboy. With an anthem about a good girl who goes on a crazy-bender, staying out late, swapping boys and exacting psychological revenge, Lavigne showcases an upbeat side, the fun melody may seem innocent, but guys might want to step out of her way. "The music video for 'What the Hell': It's kind of a guy chasing me around, and I hop into a random cab, and he's chasing me," Lavigne explained. "And I go through a clothing store and he chases me, but at the end of the video, it's really just me having a bunch of fun with him, and he's my boyfriend, so I like him in the end." The Canadian singer is out to break some hearts and have some fun in the process.

One of my top favorite singers Avril Lavigne is finally back with a brand new video for her crooned fantastical lead theme song entitled "Alice (Underground)," off soundtrack album "Almost Alice" for Tim Burton's epic fantasy adventure film "Alice In Wonderland," based on the Lewis Carroll' classic tale, a magical and imaginative twist on some of the most beloved stories of all time, will hit theaters in 3D on Friday, March 5 and the soundtrack album "Almost Alice" will be available for purchase starting March 2.
The mid-tempo ballad "Alice" is an alternative rock song, written and performed by the Juno-Award winning Canadian singer-songwriter Lavigne herself and produced by Butch Walker. Lavigne told Disney executives and director Tim Burton she could write a song for the film's soundtrack, and Lavigne "wrote the song immediately" on her piano. Lavigne described the song as "a little darker" and confirmed the lyrics, "trippin' out, spinnin' around, I'm underground, I fell down." The song does provide a suitably dramatic intro to publicity for the upcoming film, and it's the one of the best songs of Lavigne's career.
The music video is coming from the directorial hands of Dave Meyers, and is very much inspired by the Tim Burton's upcoming highly anticipated Walt Disney film. It features Lavigne playing a punk version of the title character, Alice, who chasing a rabbit, stumbling over her steps and falling into a hole and finding herself in another world. One of the most breathtaking shots feature Lavigne as Alice, sitting at a table with Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter. It really looks as if she's in the scene with the actor even though she's not. I'm actually really excited for this video to come out. She does write her own songs, which is rare in the industry. The video looks amazing, and the cinematography blends so well into the artistic aesthetic of the "Alice In Wonderland" film. There are a lot of inter-cut scenes from the movie that are matched with those of Lavigne in the video, which seamlessly intertwine with one another.
There's no questioning that this little Canadian still has some world-class pipes. Her vocals emotional expressing the confusion of Alice falling through that rabbit hole, and brings Alice directly into a contemporary context. This will allow young fans to see more clearly the metaphorical application of "Alice In Wonderland" to contemporary issues and dilemmas. "Alice" works both as an emotional, dramatic evocation of struggles with confusing times in life, and setting the scene for the movie making listeners eager to see the story that generates this heart-pounding, raw statement of the survival instinct.

"When You're Gone" is the 2nd single from her album 'The Best Damn Thing'. This video was directed by Marc Klasfeld, and features a young pregnant woman whose husband is away fighting in the war, an elderly man whose wife has recently died, and a teenage couple who are forbidden by the girl's mother to be together. Avril said that the video is very personal, and is about being with someone you love, and you have to say goodbye, and all the little things you miss about them.
Avril Lavigne was born to a French Canadian family in Belleville, Ontario, Canada on September 27, 1984. "Avril" is after the month "April" in French. The 'pop-punk princess' is currently one of the top-selling artists releasing albums in the United States, with over 10.25 million copies.
Avril is one of my all time favorite singers. My favorite songs including "Complicated", "I Will Be", "I'm With You", "Keep Holding On", "My Happy Ending" and "Nobody's Home".