Avril Lavigne Debuts First Music Video in 5 Years to Celebrate Her Birthday

9/28/2018
Updated:
9/28/2018

Singer Avril Lavigne released her latest music video for the song “Head Above Water” on Sept. 27, which is also her 34th birthday, the first in five years.

It came one day after her first television appearance in years on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Sept. 26.

“It makes my heart so unbelievably full to premiere the #HeadAboveWater music video for you all today, on my birthday. From the very first day I started writing this song, I have been inspired and gathering visuals and imagining what the music video could look like,” she wrote on Twitter.

Her latest single “Head Above Water,” was co-written by Lavigne and inspired by her battle with Lyme disease.

“One night, I thought I was dying, and I had accepted that I was going to die, my mom laid with me in bed and held me. I felt like I was drowning. Under my breath, I prayed ‘God, please help to keep my head above the water,’” Lavigne wrote on her website.

She said she began the songwriting process for her new album at that very moment.

“It was like I tapped into something. It was a very spiritual experience. Lyrics flooded through me from that point on,” she wrote.

Lavigne wrote a note of appreciation to the video director Elliot Lester on Twitter.
@ElliottLester88, I respect you so much. You are insanely talented. Thank you for working closely with me and hearing my ideas. You not only completely captured my vision, but took this video to an entirely new level, even when it meant going all the way to Iceland. You are my hero. I loved every moment of working on this video with you.”

Lavigne also brought up her co-writer and suggested that it was God who arranged them to work together.

“Thank you to my co-writers @traviswethekings, I know God brought you to me to work with me and @Stephanmoccio, You slayed on this track. I’m obsessed with the production. Chad Kroeger and @CBaseford, thank you for recording my vocals. You all worked together so well. You all took such good care of me and had my back though this experience. I can’t thank you enough.”

During an interview with Entertainment Television in April, Lavigne opened up about her journey combatting Lyme disease. She said it was a few years before she was able to go to public events.

“I’m feeling a lot better. It’s been a long time,” she said. “I have my life back.”