Singer Avril Lavigne has announced her return to music, some five years after the release of her last album. And the Canadian pop-rock artist, 33, has explained in searing detail the health problems that kept her away from the limelight for so long. In an open letter to her fans announcing the impending release of comeback single “Head Above Water” later this month, Lavigne explains that her well-publicized battle with infectious tick-borne Lyme disease caused her body to completely shut down. “I had accepted death,” she writes. Having released her self-titled fifth album in 2013, Lavigne then revealed that she had been diagnosed with the disease in April 2015, explaining that same month she was already in the recovery process. This new letter suggests the process was longer and more difficult than fans might have realized. “Five years have gone by since I released my last album. I spent the last few years at home sick fighting Lyme disease. Those were the worst years of my life as I went through both physical and emotional battles,” she writes, saying she recorded much of her new album from her sickbed. Describing Lyme disease as “the battle of my lifetime,” she explains that she wrote her new single “during one of the scariest moments of my life.” “I had accepted death and could feel my body shutting down. I felt like I was drowning. Like I was going under water and I just needed to come up for air. Like I was in a river being pulled in a current. Unable to breathe. Praying to God for Him to help me just keep my head above the water. To help me see through the stormy weather. I grew closer to Him. My mother held me. In her arms, I wrote the first song that I am releasing to tell my story.” With a dearth of new material from the singer, media reports about Lavigne have in recent years focused on her private life — from her 2015 split from husband, Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger, to her Lyme disease diagnosis to the bizarre, recurrent conspiracy theory that she had died in 2003 and was replaced by a lookalike. Lavigne tells fans that “part of me doesn’t want to talk about being sick because I want it to all be behind me, but I know I have to. Because not only is it a part of my life, I need to bring awareness to the severity of Lyme disease. A single bug bite can f–k you up hard.” Lavigne writes that the foundation she has launched in her name is now focusing on providing Lyme disease prevention and information resources. With “Head Above Water” set for release on September 19, Lavigne writes that she’s excited to “tell the world my story” — but warns fans that she’s still on the path to recovery. “I will do EVERYTHING I can to get back up on stage, to travel, to sing to you, to work again. But I have to always listen to my body and keep a healthy balance, so please be patient as we go,” she says. “I wrote and recorded this album and to me this is a victorious moment. A huge accomplishment. I am very proud and thankful to everyone who waited so patiently and lovingly with me to support this process for me.”<doc-sep>Singer Avril Lavigne, who ruled the hearts of millions of fans across the world in the 2000s, announced the release of her first single in years, "Head Above Water" on September 19. Photo: AFP Iconic singer Avril Lavigne, who ruled the hearts of millions of fans across the world in the 2000s, announced the release of her first single in years, "Head Above Water" on September 19. In an emotional letter to fans, the singer revealed that in her five-year absence she was fighting Lyme Disease, but was able to turn her struggle into a powerful body of music. Lavigne wrote that she penned the single from bed, feeling like she was dying. "I had accepted death and could feel my body shutting down," she explained. "I felt like I was drowning. Like I was going under water and I just needed to come up for air." The music helped her find strength, and the release is her way of telling the story to fans. "I have decided to be truthful about my struggle, open and more vulnerable than ever before," she says, before announcing that her foundation will now provide Lyme prevention resources. Soon, she will launch an initiative to educate and help others fighting the disease.<doc-sep>Avril Lavigne has penned an emotional letter to fans announcing her comeback, five years on from her last album, after a difficult battle with Lyme Disease. "Those were the worst years of my life as I went through both physical and emotional battles," Lavigne wrote in a letter on her website. The 'Sk8er Boi' singer says she wrote and recorded her upcoming single, 'Head Above Water', from her sick bed during "one of the scariest moments of my life". "I had accepted death and could feel my body shutting down. I felt like I was drowning," she wrote. "Like I was going under water and I just needed to come up for air. Like I was in a river being pulled in a current." Feeling "unable to breathe", Lavigne says she prayed to God as she wrote her next single, while in her mother's arms.<doc-sep>Avril Lavigne has kept mostly out of the spotlight since she announced her Lyme disease diagnosis back in 2015. Now, the "Complicated" singer has updated fans on her battle with Lyme disease in a letter to her fans on her website. "I spent the last few years at home sick fighting Lyme Disease," she wrote. "Those were the worst years of my life as I went through both physical and emotional battles." She also revealed that she's releasing new music for the first time in five years — music that's influenced by her struggles with her illness. Her first single is titled "Head Above Water." Although Avril gave a happy update on her Lyme disease in 2015, it hasn't been an easy journey for the singer. She said she wrote "Head Above Water" during one of the "scariest" moments of her life. "I had accepted death and could feel my body shutting down," she wrote in the letter. Now, Avril is using her experience to shed light on the dangers of Lyme disease and help others prevent the same outcome. "I have decided to be truthful about my struggle, open and more vulnerable than ever before. And to be honest, part of me doesn't want to talk about being sick because I want it to all be behind me, but I know I have to. Because not only is it a part of my life," she wrote. "I need to bring awareness to the severity of Lyme Disease. A single bug bite can f*ck you up hard." She went on to explain that Lyme must be treated almost immediately and many people go untreated or find a hard time getting a diagnosis. She started The Avril Lavigne Foundation, which supports people with Lyme disease, serious illness, and disabilities by providing funding and education. In her letter, Avril announced that her foundation's website provides Lyme prevention resources to connect with doctors who specialize in Lyme disease diagnosis and treatment. She also revealed that her foundation will be partnering with scientific teams to conduct more research on the disease. Although Avril has had a difficult battle with Lyme, it's amazing that she's using her experience to educate and help others. We can't wait to hear her new music and wish her a continued recovery.<doc-sep>
After five long, Avril Lavigne-less years, the singer has finally announced the arrival of a new single—titled "Head Above Water." Over the past couple of months Avril has been working on her new album, and teasing fans on Twitter with fun BTS shots from a music video shoot. And now the single's lyric video is finally here! She first confirmed the single's release as part of a long, heartfelt letter to her fans/the world detailing her battle with Lyme Disease, which is what inspired her forthcoming album. Oh, and she devoted her whole Insta grid to what appears to be the single artwork: Instagram "I spent the last few years at home sick fighting Lyme Disease. Those were the worst years of my life as I went through both physical and emotional battles," she wrote. "I was able to turn that fight into music I’m really proud of." The singer added that she wrote many of the songs on the album from her bed, and recorded them there, too. "Head Above Water" was the first track she wrote, in particular during what she describes as one of the scariest moments of her life. "I had accepted death and could feel my body shutting down. I felt like I was drowning. Like I was going under water and I just needed to come up for air. Like I was in a river being pulled in a current. Unable to breathe. Praying to God for Him to help me just keep my head above the water. To help me see through the stormy weather. I grew closer to Him. My mother held me. In her arms, I wrote the first song that I am releasing to tell my story." Now, she wants to raise awareness about Lyme Disease, and is making efforts with her foundation "to be sure that doesn’t happen as often as it does." Avril describes her album as "a very strong, triumphant, powerful and true record to me and my experiences over the last few years." TBH, can't wait to hear the rest of the songs! But for now, while we wait, let's all enjoy "Complicated" again. Follow Jasmine on Instagram. Jasmine Ting Jasmine is a journalist struggling to adult by day...