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Avril Lavigne Releases 'Head Above Water' — Her 1st New Song In 5 Years
![Avril Lavigne new song](https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OU4I7TbX-/480x251/2018/09/avril-header.jpg 480w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OU4I7TbX-/640x335/2018/09/avril-header.jpg 640w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OU4I7TbX-/768x402/2018/09/avril-header.jpg 768w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OU4I7TbX-/1024x536/2018/09/avril-header.jpg 1024w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OU4I7TbX-/1280x670/2018/09/avril-header.jpg 1280w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OU4I7TbX-/1440x753/2018/09/avril-header.jpg 1440w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OU4I7TbX-/1600x837/2018/09/avril-header.jpg 1600w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OU4I7TbX-/2160x1130/2018/09/avril-header.jpg 2160w)
Sep. 20 2018, Published 4:02 p.m. ET
Avril Lavigne has just released her first single in five years and she’s using this comeback to raise awareness on a topic that’s extremely personal for her. “Head Above Water” details her time away from the spotlight and her near fatal battle with Lyme disease.
![Avril orange carpet](https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OZwKWc4Mr/480x307/2018/09/c9fef101aea.jpg 480w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OZwKWc4Mr/640x409/2018/09/c9fef101aea.jpg 640w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OZwKWc4Mr/768x490/2018/09/c9fef101aea.jpg 768w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OZwKWc4Mr/1024x653/2018/09/c9fef101aea.jpg 1024w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OZwKWc4Mr/1280x817/2018/09/c9fef101aea.jpg 1280w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OZwKWc4Mr/1440x919/2018/09/c9fef101aea.jpg 1440w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OZwKWc4Mr/1600x1021/2018/09/c9fef101aea.jpg 1600w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OZwKWc4Mr/2160x1378/2018/09/c9fef101aea.jpg 2160w)
In statement to People, the Canada-native recalled, “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.”
![Avril all black](https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/FPy6bN-rC/480x307/2018/09/MEGA178449_011.jpg 480w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/FPy6bN-rC/640x409/2018/09/MEGA178449_011.jpg 640w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/FPy6bN-rC/768x490/2018/09/MEGA178449_011.jpg 768w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/FPy6bN-rC/1024x653/2018/09/MEGA178449_011.jpg 1024w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/FPy6bN-rC/1280x817/2018/09/MEGA178449_011.jpg 1280w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/FPy6bN-rC/1440x919/2018/09/MEGA178449_011.jpg 1440w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/FPy6bN-rC/1600x1021/2018/09/MEGA178449_011.jpg 1600w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/FPy6bN-rC/2160x1378/2018/09/MEGA178449_011.jpg 2160w)
She continued, “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.”
![Avril red dress](https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/1CkGzsJUr/480x307/2018/09/MEGA211663_008.jpg 480w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/1CkGzsJUr/640x409/2018/09/MEGA211663_008.jpg 640w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/1CkGzsJUr/768x490/2018/09/MEGA211663_008.jpg 768w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/1CkGzsJUr/1024x653/2018/09/MEGA211663_008.jpg 1024w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/1CkGzsJUr/1280x817/2018/09/MEGA211663_008.jpg 1280w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/1CkGzsJUr/1440x919/2018/09/MEGA211663_008.jpg 1440w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/1CkGzsJUr/1600x1021/2018/09/MEGA211663_008.jpg 1600w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/1CkGzsJUr/2160x1378/2018/09/MEGA211663_008.jpg 2160w)
The 33-year-old explained that from that point on, the rest of the song seemingly came together on its own. “It was like I tapped into something. It was a very spiritual experience. Lyrics flooded through me from that point on,” she said.
![Avril close up](https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OjMnVhei2/480x307/2018/09/MEGA67171_010.jpg 480w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OjMnVhei2/640x409/2018/09/MEGA67171_010.jpg 640w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OjMnVhei2/768x490/2018/09/MEGA67171_010.jpg 768w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OjMnVhei2/1024x653/2018/09/MEGA67171_010.jpg 1024w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OjMnVhei2/1280x817/2018/09/MEGA67171_010.jpg 1280w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OjMnVhei2/1440x919/2018/09/MEGA67171_010.jpg 1440w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OjMnVhei2/1600x1021/2018/09/MEGA67171_010.jpg 1600w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/OjMnVhei2/2160x1378/2018/09/MEGA67171_010.jpg 2160w)
Ahead of the song’s release, Avril penned a heartfelt open letter and addressed her absence and she revealed how hard the struggle with her health had gotten.
![Avril on jimmy kimmel](https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/D3HSUcPK-/480x307/2018/09/101cfd1314a.jpg 480w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/D3HSUcPK-/640x409/2018/09/101cfd1314a.jpg 640w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/D3HSUcPK-/768x490/2018/09/101cfd1314a.jpg 768w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/D3HSUcPK-/1024x653/2018/09/101cfd1314a.jpg 1024w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/D3HSUcPK-/1280x817/2018/09/101cfd1314a.jpg 1280w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/D3HSUcPK-/1440x919/2018/09/101cfd1314a.jpg 1440w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/D3HSUcPK-/1600x1021/2018/09/101cfd1314a.jpg 1600w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/D3HSUcPK-/2160x1378/2018/09/101cfd1314a.jpg 2160w)
She explained that her body almost “shut down” completely. She wrote, “Those were the worst years of my life as I went through both physical and emotional battles.”
![Avril face](https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/DElvr2_S7/480x320/2018/09/MEGA207024_015.jpg 480w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/DElvr2_S7/640x426/2018/09/MEGA207024_015.jpg 640w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/DElvr2_S7/768x511/2018/09/MEGA207024_015.jpg 768w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/DElvr2_S7/1024x682/2018/09/MEGA207024_015.jpg 1024w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/DElvr2_S7/1280x852/2018/09/MEGA207024_015.jpg 1280w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/DElvr2_S7/1440x958/2018/09/MEGA207024_015.jpg 1440w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/DElvr2_S7/1600x1065/2018/09/MEGA207024_015.jpg 1600w, https://media.okmagazine.com/brand-img/DElvr2_S7/2160x1437/2018/09/MEGA207024_015.jpg 2160w)
What do you think of Avril using her new song to her Lyme disease battle? Sound off in the comments!