Discovered by Antonio “L.A.” Reid, Avril Lavigne hit the big time before she was 18. Complicated, the first single from her debut album Let’s Go rose to #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and propelled the Canadian singer to stardom.

2002 was the 17 year old Lavigne’s year. Dubbed “The Teen Pop Slayer” by Rolling Stone, Lavigne followed Complicated with I’m With You (which went to #4) and teen favorite Sk8er Boi. Paramount Pictures later optioned the song as the premise for a teen-based movie that had still not seen a camera crew by 2005, but was a testament to Lavgine’s cross-generational appeal.

After dominating the mainstream and adult contemporary charts, Lavigne, who first taught herself to play guitar at age 12, returned to the charts in 2004 with a smash album, Under My Skin, which rose to #1 on the Billboard album charts. Long a Juno Award favorite in Canada, Lavigne had not won a Grammy through 2005, but that omission seemed to be one that would be changed as the young singer progresses through her career.