Photo: instagram
Is Avril actually Avril?
By Molly Given — Written on Jun 23, 2021
If you were a teenage girl in the early 2000s, you most likely lived in a state of angst, and Avril Lavigne was your queen.
The punk princess was everywhere during that time and exploded when her first album debuted in 2002.
But were you aware of the utterly bonkers conspiracy theory that has followed the star for years?
In honor of her welcome debut on TikTok —featuring an assist from Tony Hawk himself — let's look back at the wild theory that Avril Lavigne...isn't actually Avril Lavigne.
What is the Avril Lavigne clone conspiracy theory?
According to legend, Avril went on to write her second album right after her grandfather died and was extremely distraught because she was so close to him.
As the theory goes, the Canadian songstress could not handle going through life without him. She would cry onstage, in interviews, and even had to take breaks from recording to calm herself down.
She then attempted suicide a few times and, in 2003, passed away.
Enter Melissa Vandella.
Who is Melissa Vandella?
Melissa Vandella was the double for Avril who would go out on press tours and do a lot of PR-type interviews because the real Avril couldn't stand being in the spotlight. She and Avril became best friends and Avril thought it would be fun to teach her how to sing just like her.
After her second album, that's when the speculation began that the real Avril had died and been replaced.
From there on, Melissa would be Avril and have her own music career.
Whaaaat?
It's all speculation, but you have to admit that stranger things have happened. There is even a whole Wikipedia entry dedicated to this conspiracy theory.
The theory resurfaced on Twitter circa 2018 and fans were questioning whether or not Lavigne has been gone for over a decade.
Sure, they look alike but how much does this theory really hold water?
In supporting these claims people say Lavigne's music has changed over the years — which yeah, makes sense considering she's no longer a teenager and probably doesn't have the same punk angst.
Additionally, Vandella doesn't have any social media making her perfect clone, her style is different hence the style-change and Lavigne went MIA for a bit, although she has Lyme Disease.
Also, Lavigne's face changed, though let's remember that plastic surgery does exist, so this may not be Melissa Vandella's work — despite the fact that Vandella was allegedly trained to sing and do PR for Lavigne.
The clone conspiracy kinda went quiet for a while until Lavigne's 2019 album.
Catching wind again, the clone conspiracy resurfaced upon the release of Lavigne's 2019 album "Head Above Water," in which the cover photo of Lavigne seemingly looked very different from the Avril people remember.
People also noticed that Lavigne's album was not pop-rock anymore but advanced to a more mature sound. Lavigne noted this difference in an Entertainment Weekly interview, “I needed to evolve musically and not do the same pop-rock thing over and over again.”
Lavigne even addressed the conspiracy theory in the interview, "it’s just a dumb internet rumor and [I’m] flabbergasted that people bought into it. Isn’t that so weird?"
Lavigne continued, "It’s so dumb. And I look the exact same. On one hand, everyone is like, 'Oh my god, you look the same,' and on the other hand people are like 'Oh my god, she died.'"
So, Lavigne didn't really denounce or confirm it, but certainly thinks it's "weird."
Lavigne says she looks the exact same, and I can't disagree.
Most recently, Lavigne posted a TikTok with Tony Hawk, in which she lip-syncs to her song "Sk8er Boi" and Hawk skates.
Dressed in her 2000s uniform — long cut-off shorts, a muscle tee, and a tie — she looks the exact same.
Seriously, Lavigne has not aged since "The Best Damn Thing" era.
But, watch the TikTok and decide for yourself if it's Lavigne, Melissa — or perhaps some other unnamed clone of undetermined origin.
Cue the X-Files theme.
Molly Given is a writer living in Philadelphia and lover of all things to do with mystery and magic in life. When she’s not writing her fingers off she can be found planning her next adventure in a new part of the world.