Head Above Water (album)

Head Above Water
Avril Lavigne sitting nude in a pool of water holding an acoustic guitar close to her body.
Studio album by
Avril Lavigne
ReleasedFebruary 15, 2019 (2019-02-15)[1]
RecordedDecember 2016 – May 2018
GenrePop rock[2]
Length41:25
LabelBMG
Producer
Avril Lavigne chronology
Avril Lavigne
(2013) 		Head Above Water
(2019) 		Love Sux
(2022)
Singles from Head Above Water
  1. "Head Above Water"
    Released: September 19, 2018
  2. "Tell Me It's Over"
    Released: December 12, 2018
  3. "Dumb Blonde"
    Released: February 12, 2019
  4. "I Fell in Love with the Devil"
    Released: June 28, 2019

Head Above Water is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. It was released on February 15, 2019, through BMG Rights Management.[3] It is Lavigne's first studio release since her self-titled fifth studio album five years prior, marking the longest gap between two of her studio albums,[1] and is her first and only album recorded for the new incarnation of BMG (she was originally signed to the first incarnation of BMG, which later relaunched after Sony’s acquisition of BMG’s former labels.) She assumed an integral role in the album's production and collaborated with several producers including Chad Kroeger, Stephan Moccio, Chris Baseford, Johan Carlsson, Lauren Christy from The Matrix, Ryan Cabrera, Travis Clark of We the Kings, Bonnie McKee, JR Rotem and Mitch Allan among others.[4]

The album draws inspiration from Lavigne's battle with Lyme disease, with her describing the album as an "emotional journey".[5] The title track was released as the lead single from the album in September 2018, followed by "Tell Me It's Over" as the second single in December 2018,[6] "Dumb Blonde" as the third single the week of the album's release, a collaboration with rapper Nicki Minaj and "I Fell in Love with the Devil" as the fourth single in June 2019.

Head Above Water received generally mixed reviews from music critics. While some praised Lavigne's vocal performance, themes and maturity compared to the singer's previous works, some noted the "generic" sound of the album, criticizing the lyrics and production of certain songs. The album debuted at number five on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, making it Lavigne's sixth album to enter the top ten in Canada. In the United States the album debuted at number thirteen on the Billboard 200 chart. In the United Kingdom the album debuted and peaked at number ten on the UK Albums OCC chart.

In support of the album, Lavigne embarked on the Head Above Water Tour, starting on September 14, 2019 (her first tour in nearly five years following the Avril Lavigne Tour).[7]

  1. ^ a b "Avril Lavigne Reveals New Album Details With Ellen K". Spreaker. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  2. ^ Levine, Nick (February 8, 2019). "Avril Lavigne – 'Head Above Water' review". NME. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  3. ^ "Avril Lavigne Says the Night She 'Accepted' She Was Dying Inspired Her New Album". Entertainment Tonight. September 20, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  4. ^ "About". Avril Lavigne. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Twitter was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Avril Lavigne 'Tell Me It's Over' (Single Review)". Amnplify. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  7. ^ "Avril Lavigne Announces First North American Tour in 5 Years". Billboard. June 24, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.