Avril Lavigne is looking to switch up her sound on her next album as she reveals plans to go country.
The singer returned to her pop-punk roots on her recent LP ‘Love Sux’ and, looking to the future, she’s hoping to expand her musical horizons on her next project.
Speaking to The Alternative Press, she said: “Country music is hard. I listen to that s**t in my truck, and the f**king lyrics are as real as it gets.
“It’d be cool to write a country song or something. Or do a duet with someone,” she mused. “Then [I’d like to do a] more old-school, classic type of rock album.”
Although Avril didn’t name any possible collaborators, she did open up on her friendship with country-pop superstar Shania Twain.
“I met Shania Twain when I was 14. This is before I had a record deal or anything. I won a f**king contest at a local radio station to sing onstage with her,” she recalled.
“I got to sing onstage with her at this sold-out arena in Ottawa, in Canada. She gave me an opportunity to get up onstage as a young kid, and that definitely helped me in my career. And she’s someone I’ve stayed in touch with.”
During the chat, Avril also revealed another project she’d love to pursue: “make a Christmas record.”
It’s something she’s spoken about in the past, but according to Avril it’s been a challenge to make labels understand her vision throughout her career.
“I’m stubborn and strong-willed and strong-minded, and if I feel a certain way, I stick to it,” she insisted. “I’m constantly fighting. I’ve been fighting since day one to write my own songs. I had to fight my whole career to write the type of music I wanted to write.
“Sometimes labels would give me pushback and didn’t understand my vision. I had to always fight, and fight on each album to keep going in the musical direction I wanted to go, even if they’re trying to sway me another way.”
In a review of the album, Retro Pop called ‘Love Sux’ a “pop-punk masterpiece” and praised “the level of life and energy in every recording – something that’s not been so well captured since Avril’s 2007 LP ‘The Best Damn Thing’.”
‘Love Sux’ is available on CD and cassette.
