Avril Lavigne Talks About Single “Fly,” More New Music, & Movie Roles

Avril Lavigne has been out of the spotlight for a bit, but she’s been as busy as ever. She sparked concern when she revealed that she was having “health issues” last December. She kept quiet about the specifics until last week. She had Lyme disease, and was left bedridden for five months. Her mother moved in with her to take care of her, but if the months of illness and recluse had one positive effect, it’s the new clarity Avril says she now has.

Just to have this downtime, this time spent with my family, has been really good for me just to take a step back and look at my life, and really get to see who in my life is really there for me when I need them. I’ve had a lot of time to just think, and I’ve never been so clear before, or as close to my family. So there’s been a lot of good that has come out of it. And moving forward, I’m really clear on what I want in life.

I’m doing things at my speed and never being too overwhelmed, like the way I have in the past. I really want to enjoy everything, because life is good. And even though this circumstance is unfortunate, I think there are a lot of positives with it. I’m definitely choosing to view it that way.

Avril’s positivity has helped her get through what is surely one of the toughest ordeals she’s experienced. And it’s that same passion that has given her the motivation to do some special projects throughout 2015. She spoke to Billboard about her upcoming plans, ranging from music to movies to charity work. Avril said she had many new projects “lined up” for 2015, and she wasn’t joking.

“Fly”

First up in Avril’s calendar is the release of her eagerly awaited new single, “Fly.” She wrote the song two years ago for the Avril Lavigne foundation, and on April 16th it will be released in support of the Special Olympics World Games.

Avril described “Fly” as having piano, orchestra, and kick drum. “Originally I went for a more pop production, and then I scrapped it. I wanted it to be more stripped-down, and let the vocal be the lead part of the song.” She also stated, “The song is really inspirational and means a lot to me — and with the Special Olympics, it’s a natural fit.” All proceeds from the song’s sales will go to the Special Olympics.

A music video featuring Avril and the Special Olympics athletes will be released as well. Avril plans to perform the song during the ceremony, which take place in Los Angeles from July 25th to August 2nd.

Another Single, A Christmas Album, & Movie Roles

“Fly” isn’t the only new song we’ll be getting in 2015. Avril also has plans to release another very special song that she wrote this year. When Avril finally started to feel better after months of battling Lyme disease, she picked up a guitar and wrote a song. As she explained to Billboard:

This is all happening organically — I wasn’t thinking, oh, when am I going to make a record? It just happened. I wrote a song, and I want to release that song this year too, because it’s about my battle and the fight that I’ve had to put up.

We can also expect a Christmas album from Avril too. She first mentioned her dreams of doing a Christmas album in 2013 while doing promo for her 5th record, Avril Lavigne. Now that she’s had time to think carefully about what she wants out of her life and her career, Avril says that she wants to focus on a few passion projects like a holiday album:

I’ve always wanted to make a Christmas album, but I’ve never had the time. But now it’s like, “You know what, just do it!” Because that’s something I really want to do, so that’s going to be next for me.

Avril’s diversifying even beyond music, too! In addition to her planned singles and holiday record, she also wants to get back into acting. She appeared in a few movies in the mid-2000s, playing small roles in Fast Food Nation, The Flock, and the animated Over The Hedge. It’s exciting that Avril will finally get back into that side of her versatile career:

I really want to work on a film. I’ve got a couple things lining up right now, so of course I can’t say [which film]. I’m figuring out a couple things.

Raising Awareness for Lyme Disease

Now that she is feeling better – after an entire year of being under the weather and ending up bedridden – Avril has another mission: To raise awareness for Lyme disease.

I feel like I have a responsibility — I can’t just sit on my ass and do nothing. I need to talk about Lyme disease, because it’s real, it’s out there, it was a simple bug bite and it could happen to anybody. People need to know about it, because it’s not talked about that much and a lot of the information that’s out there is inaccurate.

Avril has done plenty of charity work before with her foundation, working with the Make-A-Wish foundation, Easter Seals, and the aforementioned Special Olympics. It makes perfect sense for Avril to expand that to something so close to her. Lyme disease is a horrible thing for anyone to suffer, but to make matters worse, there is a lack of awareness and treatment for it, even among doctors and the medical community. Avril hopes to solve this and help the growing number of people with Lyme disease to get the treatment they need.

Avril’s year is off to a good start so far. After releasing a music video for her acclaimed song “Give You What You Like” and now knowing that she is healthy again, Avril is ready to make 2015 even bigger.

“Fly” will be released on April 16th, with sales proceeds going to the Special Olympics. Avril’s other projects will likely be announced in the coming months as well. We are very happy with how Avril is doing this year, and excited for the new projects that are coming. Keep checking back here for all of the latest Avril Lavigne music news.

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