Norm de Plume

Don't forget RoFo and our megalomaniacal prime minister. Canada's on a real roll these days... downhill.

Apple Gooncha

And so is this:



and this:




So,

Rocketdog2000

Ah, but the difference is that people stopped giving a crap about Tiffany after her second album was released. Mainly because her career was built on covers of other people's songs more than her own material.

Clearly you don't follow pop music, music charts, or listen to pop radio, or you'd know Avril's never really been absent from them since her first album came out. That's ok though, since I'd forgive just about anybody for not really doing that. But if one really cared to find proof, all one would have to do would be to check them, or something like say Wikipeadia or other online source to find it. However since you appear to be both out of touch and lazy, here you go...

The discography of Avril Lavigne, a Canadian singer-songwriter, consists of five studio albums, seven extended plays, twenty singles, twenty music videos, and appearances on several movie soundtracks and charity albums. She has sold over 12 million albums in the US and over 40 million worldwide.

Lavigne was first discovered while singing at local music festivals and events near her hometown of Napanee, Ontario. She received her first record deal in 2000 when she was 16 years old. Her debut album, Let Go, was released in June 2002 and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 in the United States. It has sold over 20 million copies worldwide and is certified six-times platinum in the United States. The album's first single, "Complicated", peaked at number one in Australia and at number two in the United States. Other singles, "Sk8er Boi" and "I'm with You", charted in the top ten. In May 2004, Lavigne released her second album, Under My Skin, which debuted at number one in Australia, Mexico, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and went on to sell more than 12 million copies worldwide. "My Happy Ending", the second and most successful single from the album, charted in the top ten in the United States. In 2007, her third album, The Best Damn Thing, was released. It was her second album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 and produced Lavigne's most successful single, "Girlfriend", which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The album's second single, "When You're Gone", was a top-forty hit on United States, and reached the top-ten on United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Sweden. The album's other two singles were less successful. It has sold 8 million copies worldwide.

In March 2011, Lavigne released her fourth album, Goodbye Lullaby. It was preceded by its lead single, "What the Hell", which charted in the top ten in four countries and has sold over 2 million copies worldwide. The album's second single, "Smile", was released in May 2011, and its third, "Wish You Were Here" was released later in September, while receiving radio airplay in the following months. Lavigne has written songs for several movie soundtracks, including those of American Wedding and Sweet Home Alabama. Two songs that she originally wrote for films were included on subsequent studio albums. "Keep Holding On", written for Eragon, appeared on The Best Damn Thing, and "Alice", written for Alice in Wonderland, appeared on Goodbye Lullaby.

As of 2013, she has sold over 40 million albums and 70 million singles.]

It's ok to have an opinion on something, but at least form it on facts before you go spouting off that your beliefs are somehow the truth because you naively or mistakenly didn't think it could possibly be otherwise. Or in other words, just because you doubt it, or don't want to believe it, doesn't necessarily make it untrue. Personally, I'm sure neither one of us really gives two shits about Avril Lavigne, but at least if I'm going to play devil's advocate for somebody, I'm going to have the facts in my corner before opening my mouth.

Obi-Wanma

My wife listens to pop radio constantly. I can't remember the last time I heard an Avril Lavigne song on there. I've never heard this Hello Kitty song other than when I watched the video in this thread.

Rocketdog2000

Her most recent Top 20 hit "Here's To Never Growing Up" was just last year, and you don't get a Top 20 hit these days without a fair amount of airplay.

Traxan

And this:



and this

Traxan

You guys are all getting distracted by the song when that's not the issue. What we have here is the second time that a white North American girl has tried to put some Japanese flavor in her music and some dumbass white critic calls her a racist.

The same shit happened a few months back when Katy Perry wore a kimono during a TV performance. Perry had just BEEN to Japan, made appearances and hung out with their biggest pop star Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and was effusive in her love of the country.

Now Avril goes to Japan and works with a Japanese director to load up her video with kawaii elements and it happens again. These ignorant white music critics need to shut the fuck up about things they know nothing about or at the very least ASK someone involved in the artists camp before they accuse.

That's twice now that some non-Japanese "music critic" has bitched out pop singers for supposedly being racist when no one Japanese could care. They really should shut up and wait until they are insulted and stop being offended for everyone else, only to make fools of themselves.

And yes, the song sucks. I don't know how this broad's career has lasted this long.

Why So Blu?

It's cultural appropriation. It's no different than when I see white people during Halloween dressed up in their Day of the Dead garb. Yeah, white people dressing up in "Dia de Los Muertos" garb is offensive, because they have no idea WHY they're dressing up that way or the significance of the ritual/holiday. It just looks "cool" in their eyes. Fucking hipsters.

Same shit with this whole fiasco. Katy Perry is guilty of it and so was Gwen Stefani when she did it.

brayzie

Everyone takes bits of style and traditions from other cultures to look cool. I've never seen any white people dressed up for Day of the Dead but I did I wouldn't care if they're ignorant behind the meaning of it. I've seen Mexican-Americans, and cholos do the same thing. Wearing long tees with Dia De Los Muertos designs, painting their faces up for Halloween, getting tattoos in that style, and yet they themselves don't know the history of it.

Everyone does that shit. It's not exclusive to whites or hipsters.

brayzie

I don't know about the instances cited, but I do remember when Gwen Stefani was getting criticized for her Harajuku girl back up dancers. I liked the album, but the way she presented the dancers seemed demeaning like renaming them after her album Love, Angel, Music, and Baby. The idea of people as merely props became more pronounced in this example. I saw them on TV with her a few times but I can't even remember if they talked.

stvn1974

Were the Beatles racists when they started using sitars in the songs?

Why So Blu?

This makes no sense. Re-read what the poster above you wrote. That makes sense.

Why So Blu?

They didn't they were mute props mugging for the camera.

Traxan

I think a lot of them were Chinese, which would definitely piss off the Japanese.

slop101

Yeah, horrible analogy.

Now, if the Beatles had, instead of just using sitars, had Indian dancers and musicians in the background, dancing to Bollywood type music with the Beatles doing the same in front of them, co-opting their culture just for a style, then yes, it would be a more similar thing, though still not completely racist, though definitely culturally insensitive.

Mabuse

What if the white person does know the meaning behind day of the dead? Is it okay then? I'm white and familiar with the nov 1 tradition.

Nick Danger

What's wrong with cultural appropriation? It's how cultural ideas spread around the world. The Japanese appropriate American pop music, and we appropriate Godzilla and ninjas.

Besides, those skull cookies are tasty.

cultshock

I don't see the big deal. She likes Japan, still has a considerable fan base there, and I'm guessing in large part that this video was meant if anything, to appeal to that fan base (especially considering that her Japanese record label was apparently involved). Folks in Japan love it when a western pop star, actor, etc make Japanese references, even when they are silly like this (I've watched enough Japanese TV shows on my visits there to know how silly, shallow and ephemeral a lot of their popular culture is. Believe me, I'm not saying that most US television is much better, it's just that this video wouldn't be out of place with a lot of the television I've watched there). For the record though, I find the song itself terrible, but my Japanese wife thought the video was pretty cool and was not offended in the least.

UAIOE

I think calling her video "racist" is on the same level of stupidity as calling me racist because I decide to dress up as Godzilla for Halloween.

But the song still blows.

RoyalTea

$400 to take a photo with Avril Lavigne. No touching or getting within an arm's length of her.

http://uproxx.com/music/2014/05/thes...-touching-her/

Norm de Plume

$400? One could actually buy something with that money.

brayzie

Yeah, the video didn't seem racist to me, but a little on the condescending side. The robotic, mannequin-like women reminded me of Gwen Stefani's LAMB dancers.

slop101

That's probably for your own good, so you won't catch anything off her.

Sean O'Hara

They might as well be standing next to a cardboard cut-out for all the enthusiasm she's showing.

gerrythedon

http://www.billboard.com/articles/ne...-photos-brazil

But there's a caveat: fans aren't allowed to touch Lavigne, and are required to stand at least arm's length away from her. After being a fan stormed the stage during her 2011 tour of Brazil, it's not surprising she decided to take precautionary measures this time. Watch a video of the attack and check out more photos over at Gawker.

and the reason why
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