Avril Lavigne celebrates 35th birthday

The year was 2007 when 17 year old Avril Ramona Lavigne began climbing the charts with a song she wrote about angst with a collective group of songwriters known as the Matrix.

Born in 1984, the Canadian singer-songwriter and actress signed a two million dollar contract with Arista Records and the label's CEO Antonio l.A. Reid at the age of 15.

Her debut studio album 'Let It Go' emphasized a skate punk persona which was later popularized even further with the song "Skater Boi."

"Complicated" hit number two in the U.S. and reached number one in several countries worldwide and made her the youngest female soloist to have a number one album in the United Kingdom.

It also earned her the best new artist video at the MTV Video Music Awards.

She is now the third biggest-selling female Canadian artist behind Shania Twain and Celine Dion with 40 million albums and 50 million singles sold.

Avril Lavigne turns 35.