We've come a long way since listening to Avril Lavigne's Complicated in our bedrooms on our CD players, yelling out her emo lyrics to show our angst to the world. And so has Avril Lavigne herself. After a long and ongoing battle with Lyme disease, the singer has just announced her Head Above Water tour, her first tour in five years.
Lavigne, who is from Ontario, Canada, will only visit her home country once in Toronto on the North American tour. The other 15 dates span throughout the United States, starting in Seattle on September 14. Lavigne is also stopping in Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C.. She took to Instagram in her signature black eyeliner to share her excitement and announce pre-sale access information.
Lavigne was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2014 after a tick bit the singer. The bacterial infection can cause fatigue, muscle pain and even dementia. Lavigne stayed in bed for almost two years, one point during which she thought she might die. This break, while tiring, was the singer's first since she became famous with Complicated's release in 2002.
Lavigne told the following to People in an interview:
“Music really lifted me up and made me feel better,” she says. “I was able to take a hard time in my life and make the best out of a circumstance that was I was going through. … At first I didn’t know I was making an album — I just naturally turned to songwriting in a time of healing.”
Head Above Water released earlier this year and is Lavigne's sixth LP. She wrote the album, after which her newest tour is titled, during her recovery period from Lyme disease.
Tickets for Avril Lavigne's Head Above Water tour go on sale this Friday. Live Nation will give one dollar from every ticket sold to the Avril Lavigne Foundation for Lyme disease research and disease treatment funding. If you're a fan of Avril Lavigne, you're not going to want to miss her back on the big stage.