Twenty years after its release, Avril Lavigne reflects on “Complicated”: “It’s so extremely special”Twenty years after its release, Avril Lavigne reflects on “Complicated”: “It’s so extremely special”

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As you’ve probably heard, 2022 marks Avril Lavigne‘s 20th anniversary as a recording artist. But while her debut album, Let Go, came out in June of 2002, her first introduction took place exactly 20 years ago today — March 11, 2002 — with the release of her debut single, “Complicated.” Avril now calls it “the most important song” of her career.”

“It’s so extremely special, and as the years have gone on, it’s become even more meaningful to me, just with that being my first single,” Avril tells ABC Audio. “I wrote it when I was 16 with Lauren Christy. I put it out when I was 17.”

“Complicated” reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Avril two Grammy nominations, as well as a Juno Award and the MTV VMAs for Best New Artist in a Video. When Rolling Stone ran a poll asking readers to pick the top singles of the 2000s, “Complicated” came in at number eight.

“It was my first song and it was the first video. It was on the radio, it was a huge hit and, like, launched my career,” Avril adds. “So it’s, like, in a way…the most important song, too.”

Avril will definitely be singing that song, as well as a good chunk of her new album Love Sux, on her upcoming tour. Though U.S. dates haven’t been released yet, Avril says they’re coming.

“The tour starts in Canada in May, and then we’re announcing more tour dates and kind of like traveling around the world,” she says. “So they just haven’t been announced yet.”

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