Pop-Punk Princess Avril Lavigne describes her latest single, Bite Me, as “a good time to return to rock”, confident that the genre is “bigger than ever”.
After releasing her new single Bite Me last week, Avril Lavigne sat down with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 to talk about the song, her contract with Travis Barker’s label, and the rebirth of Pop- Punk.
The Canadian star told Zane that it was “a good time to go back to rock” when talking about the new song, adding, “I’m at a happy stage in my life, really. excited to express it in music.”
“Even when I’m recounting past stories and love relationships. Let’s face it – Love is never easy, right? And, I mean I went through this story, so I wrote it to music… Bite Me is basically about this guy who wanted a second chance with me and couldn’t because, well, you tried and going nowhere. You also have self-respect.”
Speaking about joining DTA, Avril explained that this collaboration was inevitable, because she is also a big fan of blink-182, and worked with Travis on the 2007 album, The Best Damn Thing.
“We used to compose together and have some great collaborations in the studio,” Avril said. “Now, I’m signed to DTA Records, his label, and it comes completely naturally and logically. When I started the creative process, we talked a little, and he understood immediately. Working with Travis, you always have your say. He might be like, “So, how do you want it?” and like “Here, this is my opinion.” But it ended up being “I want your decision. I want you to be happy with that decision.” He is very understanding, because he is also an artist. Travis often sits down and chats with me, giving me comments. In the end, I usually still listen to him, but Travis is like “make your own decision”. Oh, that’s cool.
Finally, looking back, next year will be the 20th anniversary of her iconic debut, with the album Let Go, as well as a year that promises a revival of Pop-Punk: “I’m preparing for the anniversary. Celebrating 20 years of debut album. This means I have been working professionally for 20 years. Yes, it’s crazy. Many people recognized me, ran up and told me, “Oh my God, I’ve been listening to your music since I was a teenager.” Or “I started playing music because of you.” It’s truly amazing.”
“And I believe that Pop-Punk music, it’s coming back and making people love it again. And in a weird way, I feel like it’s growing stronger than ever.”