Taylor Swift And Avril Lavigne's Music Have More In Common Than Fans Know

Avril Lavigne burst onto the scene in 2002 at just 17 years old with her debut album “Let Go.” The record spawned the hit singles “Complicated,” “Sk8er Boi,” and “I’m With You.” She would go on to release one hit album after another, becoming an icon of the pop punk genre.

Lavigne’s confessional and upfront songwriting has inspired many of the artists who came after her, including Taylor Swift.

Swift has become known for writing deeply personal lyrics about her life. From her relationships to fame to her family, Swift covers many topics in her songs with brutal honesty. While Swift has been open about her love for Lavigne, some fans wondered if she was particularly inspired by one of Lavigne’s biggest hits in one of her famous music videos.

Fans Point Out The Similarities Between The ‘Girlfriend’ And ‘You Belong With Me’ Videos

In 2007, Avril Lavigne released her single “Girlfriend,” the first of which to be released from her highly-anticipated third album, “The Best Damn Thing.”

Lavinge discussed the song’s process during an interview with Glamour.

“So Dr. Luke played the chords for ‘Girlfriend’ and it just flew out of my mouth,” she recalled. “I sang, hey, hey/you, you. We wrote that chorus as I had my bag on about to walk out in, like, two minutes. He laid the guitar down, wrote the beat with his electric drum, and I ran in and laid down a scratch vocal. And I thought, ‘Oh my God,’ this song’s going to be huge. It was just one of those moments that don’t happen a lot. It is really magical.”

The song describes someone who has a crush on someone in a relationship. However, Lavigne said the song wasn’t meant to be taken so seriously, as she told Pop Matters in 2007.

“It was just a joke and we were laughing and we’re like, ‘This is funny,’” Lavigne said. “It’s so out there.”

In 2008, Taylor Swift released her album “Fearless,” which included the hit “You Belong With Me.” Like Lavigne’s “Girlfriend,” Swift’s track details crushing on someone who is in a relationship.

“This song is basically about wanting someone who is with this girl who doesn’t appreciate him at all,” Swift explained. “Basically like ‘girl-next-door-itis.’ You like this guy who you have for your whole life, and you know him better than she does but somehow the popular girl gets the guy every time.”

In the song’s video, Swift plays the role of both the girl who is crushing on the guy and his girlfriend. In the YouTube comments section, many pointed out the similarities to Lavigne’s “Girlfriend” video. In Lavigne’s video, she also plays both roles.

• Someone wrote, “this is like the pop punk version of ‘you belong with me.’”
• However, another person corrected them, writing, “Why does everyone forget this song was way before ‘you belong with me’ so you belong with me is a country version of this.”
• “‘You belong with me’ is literally the next song that autoplayed after this one,” another person wrote.
• Another fan commented, “this came out before taylor’s song. wonder if she got the mv idea from here.”
• There was one person who pointed out a key difference in both videos, writing, “Except in that video, the popular girl was abusive and the nerdy Taylor was the good girl who wins the boyfriend. In this video it’s similar to the latter but the mean girl wins and the boyfriend was terrible.”

Taylor Swift Brought Avril Lavigne On Stage During The ‘1989’ Tour And Performed ‘Complicated’

In May 2014, Avril Lavigne went viral on social media when pictures from a meet and greet in Brazil showed her standing very far from fans. It got even more attention when it was revealed that the fans spent around $400 to meet Lavigne and get a picture with her.

There were rumors Lavigne imposed a “no touching” rule, which she later explained.

“I do touch my fans,”
Lavigne told KiSS 92.5 in Canada
. “My fans are very frisky, actually. In some countries where we’ve had security breaches, it’s a little delicate because of things that have happened with stuff I probably shouldn’t get into.”

Lavigne wasn’t kidding, either. In 2011, a fan in Brazil stormed the stage during her concert tour stop in the country. This is most likely the reason fans were standing so far away from Lavigne in the pictures.

Whether intentional or not, Lavigne developed a reputation as someone who keeps their distance from fans.

The meme featured pictures of Lavigne, Kanye West, Britney Spears, and Katy Perry. While they all seemed distant or disinterested in their fans, Swift was shown to be very affectionate towards her own fans.

This was picked up by people on Twitter and Lavigne felt the need to comment on the comparison.

“Comparison is judging and judging a person does not define who they are it defines who you are,” Lavigne wrote. “We all love our fans.”

She added, “So let’s keep it all about the love and stay positive.”

Related

Avril Lavigne’s Awkward Meet And Greet Photos, Explained

Avril Lavigne later explained there was a good reason fans were asked to keep their distance during a meet and greet.

It seems like Swift agreed with these sentiments, because she invited Lavigne to perform with her shortly afterward. During the August 2015 San Diego stop of her “1989” tour, Swift brought Lavigne on stage and the two performed “Complicated” together.

Lavigne reacted to the moment on social media, writing, “Such a Pleasure to perform ‘Complicated’ tonight with Taylor Swift on her #1989 world tour! She ROCKS. She is a Doll. Thank you Taylor for having me up on stage and thank you San Diego.”

Taylor Swift Sent Avril Flowers To Congratulate Her On Her 2022 Album ‘Love Sux’

In 2022, Lavigne released an album titled “Love Sux,” which marked a return to her pop punk roots. It also marked the 20th anniversary of her debut album, “Let Go,” which was released in 2002.

The album was produced by Travis Barker’s DTA Records.

During an appearance on People’s Every Day podcast, Lavigne recalled a sweet gift she received from Swift. Swift sent Lavigne a bouquet which included pink, peach and white flowers, as well as a note.

“Avril, Been dancing around my kitchen to your fabulous new album!!” Swift wrote. “It’s AMAZING, like you.”

She signed the note, “Your forever fan, Taylor.”

“She said she’s, like, loving the songs and listening to them, and, I mean, she’s amazing,” Lavigne said.

“I joined her up on stage, I don’t know, four years ago during one of her tours, we sang ‘Complicated’ together, and she had told me she was a huge fan,” Lavigne said, recalling her guest appearance on the “1989” tour.

Lavigne was clearly happy to receive the love from Swift, adding, “That meant so much to me. She’s an incredible artist and songwriter, she’s such a sweet person and has accomplished so much.”

Lavigne also said it means a lot to receive support from another female artist.

“From one woman in the music industry to another showing that support … it means a lot,” Lavigne said. “It totally made my day.”

When reflecting on her debut album, Lavigne said she “can’t believe” it had been 20 years since its release. She said that she is “still having just as much fun now” as she did when she burst onto the music scene at 17 years old. Lavigne also said she is “grateful to have such an incredible, supportive, passionate fan base.”

Lavigne also showed some love to artists like Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo, who have also cited her as an influence. According to Lavigne, “it means so much” to have fans in a new generation of artists.

“I really admire them and how hard they work and how amazing their songwriting is, how strong their songwriting is,” Lavigne said about Rodrigo and Eilish. “It’s very sincere, and they also just have their own individual styles and vibe and stick to it.”

Lavigne went on to point out how she “had to fight very hard” in order to release the music she was passionate about when she was younger.

“I was just so young; everyone was throwing songs at me,” she remembered. “I was fighting and standing up for myself and pushing to write my songs and have the style and production to be what it was.”

Related

The Sad Reason Avril Lavigne’s Greatest Hits Tour Got Torn Apart By Fans

Avril Lavigne’s fans had some complaints about her current “Greatest Hits Tour.”

Besides reflecting on her past, Lavigne was equally passionate about her latest music.

“It does have a strong message of like self-empowerment, self-love, self-worth,” Lavigne said of her latest album. “The whole album is really also just about being able to laugh at the crazy ride that love takes you on.”

Taylor Swift

Birthname

Taylor Alison Swift

Birthdate

December 13, 1989

Birthplace

Reading, Pennsylvania, USA

Height

5′ 11″

Twitter

@taylorswift13

Instagram

@taylorswift

Eye Color

Blue

Siblings

Austin Swift

Parents

Andrea and Scott Kingsley Swift

Profession

Musician

Net worth

$1,100,000,000

Source of Wealth

Music, merchandising, streaming services, tours, endorsements, tv/film, songwriter, producing, and directing.

Nationality

American

Bio

Taylor Swift is a 12 time Grammy winner whose background is rooted in Pennsylvania, where she was born on December 13, 1989. Her family includes her father, Scott Swift, who worked as a stockbroker; her mother, Andrea Swift, who was a homemaker and fund marketing executive; and her younger brother, Austin, who is an actor. During her formative years, Taylor spent time on a Christmas tree farm with her parents.

 

Early Years/Education

 

Taylor Swift’s interest in music started at a young age, and she quickly progressed to performing in front of large crowds. At just 11 years old, she sang the US national anthem in front of thousands at a Philadelphia 76ers basketball game, and by the age of 12, she had already started to write her own songs and play guitar. Her talents as a musician were evident from an early age.

 

Shania Twain and the Dixie Chicks were significant contributors to Taylor Swift’s development as a musician, as her sound was heavily influenced by country music performers like them. She drew motivation from her own experiences of being bullied and feeling like an outsider when she was in her preteen and teen years. When Swift was 13 years old, her family uprooted and moved from Pennsylvania to Tennessee so that she could pursue a career in country music.

 

Career

 

2000’s

 

The rise of Taylor Swift in the music industry is one of the most remarkable stories of recent times. 

 

It all began when Scott Borchetta, a prominent music executive, discovered Swift’s talent while she was performing at the Bluebird Cafe. Impressed by her skills, Borchetta wasted no time and signed her to his newly launched Big Machine Records in 2005. From there on, there was no looking back for Swift, as she went on to conquer hearts and charts with her soulful melodies and captivating performances.

 

Taylor worked on her first album with Nathan Chapman as producer, who had previously worked on Taylor’s demos. The album featured 11 songs, all of which Swift had original songwriting credits for (including three solo-written tracks). The debut album was released in October 2006 and received positive reviews. Swift tirelessly promoted the album by performing on various radio and television shows and utilizing her MySpace presence to attract a growing fan base.

 

Taylor Swift’s debut track “Tim McGraw” did well, but “Teardrops on My Guitar” and “Our Song” were even more successful, reaching the Top Ten on both country and pop charts. This led to a string of five consecutive hit singles for Swift. Despite being nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammys (which she didn’t win), Swift was more focused on her second album, Fearless.

 

In 2008, when “Fearless” was first released, it showcased Taylor Swift’s polished pop sound while still staying true to her country music roots. The album was a massive success, selling over 500,000 copies in its first week and debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.

 

In fact, no other album released during that decade peaked at the top of the chart as long as “Fearless” did. Both “You Belong with Me” and “Love Story” were successful in the digital market, with the latter garnering over four million paid downloads.

 

It was after this that Taylor was seen in the movie Valentine’s Day, and then lent her voice to a role in the movie The Lorax. Both of these were smaller parts, as T. Swift had much bigger things going on with the release of her album “Speak Now” in 2010.

 

Taylor Swift’s album “Speak Now” became an instant hit, with hit singles like “Mine” and “Mean” contributing greatly to its success. The album’s popularity continued to grow, not just on country charts but also on pop radio. It even won two Grammy Awards, showcasing its widespread appeal.

 

“Red” was dropped in 2012 and was a massive success in the United States. It sold 1.2 million copies in its first week alone, making it the highest one-week sales total in a decade. The lead single from the album, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” also earned Swift her first number-one hit on the Billboard pop singles chart. 

 

There was quite literally nothing stopping her from that moment on. She would go on to top the charts consistently with each and every album she released afterwards.

 

1989 (2014)

Reputation (2017)

Lover (2019)

Evermore (2020)

Folklore (2020)

Midnights (2022)

 

Midnights holds the records for most simultaneous top 10 hits and most top 10 hits off the same album. It also is the second top selling (within the first week of sales) album of all time, selling 1.6 million opening week.

 

Business Ventures

 

Taylor Swift has had endorsements with major brands such as Coca-Cola, CoverGirl, Keds, AT&T, Target, and Sony Electronics throughout her career.

 

Personal Life

 

Taylor Swift has had a long list of high-profile relationships, including ones with Joe Jonas, Lucas Till, Taylor Lautner, John Mayer, Jake Gyllenhaal, Connor Kennedy, Harry Styles, Calvin Harris, Tom Hiddleston, and Joe Alwyn. She most recently dated Matty Healy from May to June 2023.

 

 

Net Worth

 

Taylor Swift has a net worth of $740 Million

The majority of wealth has come from her music and tours.  Her Reputation tour brought in $266 million, 1989 brought in $250 million, and most recently her Era’s tour brought in a staggering $620 million according to Forbes.

 

Activism

 

Taylor Swift has been involved with LGBTQ+ equality, and donates to many charities worldwide.

 

Controversies

 

Taylor has had the typical celebrity feud with stars like Katy Perry and Calvin harris, but the prominent controversies involving her are:

 

-During the VMA’s when both Beyoncé and Taylor were nominated, Kanye West went on stage and interrupted Swift’s acceptance speech claiming she didn’t deserve to win.

 

-In 2017, Swift took a Colorado DJ to trial for groping her during a meet-and-greet in 2013. 

 

-Currently, Swift’s fans are suing Ticketmaster over allegations of fraud and antitrust violations during her Eras Tour ticket presale in the fall.

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