Dreams do come true, just ask Avril Lavigne.
Twenty years after the release of her debut album, Let Go, the pop-punk princess has received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. During the star unveiling ceremony, many of Lavigne’s collaborators, friends, and family gathered to celebrate the event. Further, both Goldfinger’s singer/guitarist John Feldmann and Machine Gun Kelly gave speeches in honor of Lavinge.
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“You have been with me way longer than you know,” Kelly told Lavigne. “You were with me all the times I got my heart broke, your music was in my headphones. You are an inspiration for a generation of kids like myself who wore baggy jeans and skated and didn’t fit into MTV’s version of what the girls wanted. And when you made ‘Sk8er Boi,’ that was the hope that we held onto.”
Then, Lavigne got up to thank the important people in her life and to tell a little bit about her story. Lavigne started her musical career as a young teen, and she visited Hollywood for the first time at 16 years old. “So, I’m 16 years old and I’m on my first trip to Hollywood, and of course, I had to visit the Hollywood Walk of Fame because it’s iconic,” Lavigne said.
On that first trip to Hollywood, Lavigne took a photo by the Walk of Fame in a “Skateboarding Is Not A Crime” hoodie. In a symbolic and nostalgic moment, Lavigne put on that very hoodie halfway through her Walk of Fame speech.
“I can remember seeing these legendary names, and I never could have imagined mine would be here,” Lavigne added. “This is so crazy. I am so grateful. This is probably one of the coolest days of my life.
“Today, I love making music more than ever. I feel so inspired. And I hope that the next 16-year-old from their small town who comes to Hollywood one day, full of hopes and dreams, sees this star and thinks to themself, ‘Oh my god, my name could be there one day, too.’ Because it can,” she concluded. “What an amazing 20 years, and I can’t wait for the next 20, bitches! Let’s go!”
(Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)