Avril Lavigne Shares Her Struggle With First New Song In 5 Years

Thank the music gods. After 5 years away from the world of music, Avril Lavigne is BACK. Her new single, “Head Above Water”, from her album of the same name, dropped on Wednesday (September 19) and we haven't stopped listening since.

In late 2014, Avril was diagnosed with Lyme Disease, which severely affected her health and her career. She essentially became bedridden, taking antibiotics and herbs, not leaving the house often, losing muscle mass, and ultimately not singing at all.

On her website, Avril describes the moment in her battle with Lyme Disease that gave her the inspiration for the new single and album:

“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.’ In that moment, the song writing of this album began. It was like i tapped into something. It was a very spiritual experience. Lyrics flooded through me from that point on.”

Seriously, this song is SO moving and was the perfect choice for Avril’s comeback single. It is so personal to her experience, yet so many people struggling, whether it be with physical illness, mental illness, etc., can relate to these lyrics. She is reaching out for help, she wants to stay here, and is praying and begging she won’t drown. The song definitely brought a few tears to my eyes.

It becomes clear how much Avril went through during these last few years, and this song reveals just how much she fought for her life. On her website, she discusses how hard she fought to get to this moment right now:

“I went through a lot to get here… The positive side is I didn’t stop living my life. Having music while I was healing and in recovery definitely pulled me out of my darkness. I had a goal to work towards and a purpose. I hope the album touches people. We all go through challenges in life. Some unfortunately are more serious than others. Having gone through the battle of my lifetime, I’m stronger than ever and looking forward to sharing my renewed voice and energy for my life with my fans through this new music.”

While the singer has yet to announce her album release date, we are SO excited to hear all that will come from this new record. If it’s anything like the first single, it’s sure to be an honest telling of Avril’s life over the last few years, filled with inspiration. We’re nothing but positive that this new album will be a huge success, and we can’t wait to have it on repeat when it drops!

(Image via Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

- Brooke Sharland, YH Contributing Writer