Avril Lavigne

In 2002 one of the biggest stories in the music business was the ascendance of 17-year old Canadian singer Avril Lavigne. In an era dominated by pre-fabricated teen-pop, Avril was seen as a teen star with an edge. Instead of carefully crafted, studio-glossed R&B/pop a la Britney or Christina, she favoured a more traditional rock-pop sound topped off with a punky bad-girl/rebel image which, even if it didn't quite match her radio-friendly music, made for an effective alternative to glam sexpots like Avril's aforementioned peers. As Lavigne matured, and even got married, her image evolved subtly in a more feminine direction, although her music remained as tough and punk-derived as ever.

• rock
• pop