Avril Lavigne ‘feels lucky’ that younger artists cite her as an influence
The singer also said she is ‘excited to be 20 years in and still rocking’.
Avril Lavigne has said she feels “very lucky” to be cited as a musical influence by younger artists including Olivia Rodrigo.
The Canadian pop-punk singer shot to fame in the early 2000s with hits including Complicated and Sk8er Boi.
She recently signed a new deal with Travis Barker’s label DTA Records and has been cited as a key influence for rising superstars including Driver’s License singer Rodrigo.
Speaking to The Forty-Five magazine, Lavigne, 37, said: “I feel very lucky that so many of these younger artists have mentioned me as someone that they were inspired by.
“A lot of people say that to me when I meet them now at this point in my career, and it’s really flattering.
“It’s not something I ever expected when I started making music, so to hear that now is really rewarding.”
“She’s [Rodrigo] a total sweetheart and she’s such a great songwriter… It’s really exciting because she’s so young and she gets to evolve so much from here, too.
“It’s exciting to see a female doing so well in that lane and just getting started out.”
Lavigne released new record Bite Me in November, her debut on Blink-182 drummer Barker’s label.
She said: “I needed to find a label for the [new] music, and it felt like an obvious choice.
“He’s an artist so he understood my vision, but also knows the importance of what it’s like to be a good partner. Blink 182 has always been one of my favourite bands.”
She also said she is “excited to be 20 years in and still rocking”.
She added: “I’m really grateful to still be doing what I love and to have a musical outlet.
“I’m having so much fun with it all… I’m making music this far into my career because I truly want to and it’s just such a big part of my life.
“It’s nice to see people enjoying the genre and having fun with it.”
