Head Above Water is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer Avril Lavigne. It was released on February 15, 2019, through BMG Rights Management. It is Lavigne's first studio release since her self-titled fifth studio album, marking the longest gap between two of her studio albums, and is her first album recorded for new incarnation of BMG. She assumed an integral role in the album's production and collaborated with several producers including Chad Kroeger, Stephan Moccio, Chris Baseford, Johan Carlsson, Lauren Christy from The Matrix, Ryan Cabrera, Travis Clark of We the Kings, Bonnie McKee, JR Rotem and Mitch Allan among others. The album draws inspiration from Lavigne's battle with Lyme disease, with her describing the album as an "emotional journey". The title track was released as the lead single from the album in September 2018, followed by "Tell Me It's Over" as the second single in December, "Dumb Blonde" as the third single the week of the album's release, a collaboration with rapper Nicki Minaj and "I Fell in Love with the Devil" as the fourth single in June. The album became her sixth consecutive album to chart in the top five of Lavigne's home country, Canada. In support of the album, Lavigne embarked on a concert tour named the Head Above Water Tour, starting on September 14. This marks her first tour in nearly 5 years following The Avril Lavigne Tour.
Background and development
In December 2014, Lavigne was diagnosed with Lyme disease. According to her, she "sat behind a piano and sang past the pain". The songs on the album are inspired by her battle with Lyme disease. On December 25, 2016, Lavigne announced that she would release the album in 2017. On March 1, 2017, Lavigne announced that she had signed with BMG Rights Management and promised to release the album in 2017. On January 21, 2018, Lavigne responded to a fan on Twitter about the album, saying: " personal, dear, intimate, dramatic, raw, powerful, strong and unexpected. This record is a true emotional journey." On February 7, 2018, Lavigne posted on Twitter about the album, saying: "I've started mixing my album and all of the pieces are finally coming together. These songs are so close to my heart. Wish me luck while I throw every last drop of me into these final stages." In May, Lavigne finished recording the album, though she was reported to have worked with songwriter Bonnie McKee afterwards. On July 7, 2018, Lavigne stated that the album cover was being shot that week. On August 18, 2018, Lavigne posted on her social media: "Exciting things coming" and "prepping for my video shoot". On September 6, 2018, Lavigne posted a letter to her fans on her official website, revealing she wrote and recorded most of the album on her couch due to Lyme disease. She also stated that "Head Above Water" was the first song she wrote for the album. To Lavigne, recording this album was a "victorious moment" and a "huge accomplishment", describing it as "a very strong, triumphant, powerful and true record to me and my experiences over the last few years". On December 7, the singer revealed that the name of the album as Head Above Water and the tracklist. Along with revealing the album title, Lavigne also unveiled the cover artwork. The front cover shows her nude sitting in a pool of water holding an acoustic guitar close to her body.
Singles
The song "Head Above Water" serves as the album's lead single. It was released on September 19, 2018, and impacted hot adult contemporary radio and Christian radio on October 8, 2018. The song was described as "a powerful, spiritual epiphany detailing the Canadian singer's journey through her battle with Lyme disease." "Tell Me It's Over" was announced as the second single from the album on December 5, 2018, and was released the following December 12, with the album's pre-order. The album's third single, "Dumb Blonde", was released on February 12, 2019, featuring rapper Nicki Minaj. "I Fell in Love with the Devil" was announced as the fourth single from the album on June 7, 2019, and was released on June 28. "We Are Warriors" was released as a new version of her song "Warrior", and was released as the album's fifth single as a charity single on April 24, 2020 for the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic.
Critical reception
Head Above Water received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 55 based on 12 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Accolades
Commercial performance
In the United States the album debuted at number 13 on Billboard 200, selling roughly 28,000 estimated album equivalent units in its first week, making it Lavigne's first album to not enter the top ten on the first-week of release. It also became the lowest entry on the chart, comparing to the previous one, Avril Lavigne that sold 44,000 copies. On the BillboardIndependent Albums, the album peaked at number one. In the United Kingdom the album debuted and peaked at number 10 with 5,766 units sold. It also went straight to number one on the UK Independent Albums. In Germany, the album debuted at number three, making it her best performance on the chart since The Best Damn Thing. Overall, the album reached top 10 positions in 8 countries.
