2003-03 Let Go

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In November 2000,[7] Ken Krongard, an A&R representative, invited Antonio "L.A." Reid, then-head of Arista Records, to producer Peter Zizzo's Manhattan studio to hear Lavigne sing. Her 15-minute audition "so impressed" Reid, he immediately signed her to Arista with a deal worth $1.25 million for two albums and an extra $900,000 for a publishing advance.[8][3] By this time, Lavigne had found that she fit in naturally with her hometown high school's skater clique, an image that carried through to her first album, but although she enjoyed skateboarding, school left her feeling insecure. Armed with a record deal, she dropped out to focus on her music career,[7] but she still had to inform her parents of her decision. "I wasn't going to turn [the record deal] down. It's been my dream all my life. They knew how much I wanted this and how much I've put into it."[17][10]
Lavigne released her debut album, Let Go, on 4 June 2002 in the U.S., where it reached #2 on the Billboard 200. It peaked at #1 on the Australian, Canadian and United Kingdom charts. This made Lavigne, at 17 years old, the youngest female soloist to have a #1 album in the UK until that time.[18] By the end of 2002, the album was certified four-times platinum by the RIAA, making her the bestselling female artist of 2002 and Let Go the top-selling debut of the year.[19] By May 2003, Let Go had accumulated over 1,000,000 sales in Canada, receiving a diamond certification from the Canadian Recording Industry Association.[20] As of 2009, the album has sold over 16 million units worldwide,[21] and the RIAA has certified the album six-times platinum, denoting shipments of over six million units in the U.S.[22]
“ I don't get overwhelmed, just because I feel like I've kind of prepared myself for it. All my life this is what I've wanted, what I've dreamed about, and I knew this would happen. I've been singing ever since I was really young and I've wanted this so bad, and I told myself I would do it. ”
—Avril Lavigne on her success, MTV[7]
Lavigne's debut single and the album's lead single, "Complicated", peaked at #1 in Australia and #2 in the U.S. "Complicated" was one of the bestselling Canadian singles of 2002, and it was also featured on the teen television show, Dawson's Creek. "Complicated" later ranked on the Hot 100 Singles of the Decade list at #83.[23]
Subsequent singles, "Sk8er Boi" and "I'm With You" reached the top ten in the U.S.[24] Thanks to the success of her first three singles, Lavigne was the second artist in history to have three #1 songs from a debut album on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40.[25] For the music video to "Complicated", Lavigne was named Best New Artist at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards.[26] She won four Juno Awards in 2003 out of six nominations,[27] received a World Music Award for "World's Bestselling Canadian Singer", and was nominated for eight Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for "Complicated" (2003).[28]
In 2002, Lavigne made a cameo appearance in the music video to "Hundred Million" by the pop punk band Treble Charger.[29] In March 2003, Lavigne posed for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine[30] and, later in May,[31] performed "Fuel" during MTV's Icon tribute to Metallica.[32] During her first headlining tour, the Try To Shut Me Up Tour, Lavigne covered Green Day's "Basket Case".[33]
Lavigne was featured in the 2003 game, The Sims: Superstar, as a non-playable celebrity.[34]