Editing Avril Lavigne (section)

===2002–2003: ''Let Go''===
[[File:AvrilShow cropped.jpg|thumb|right|Lavigne performing in 2002]]
Reid gave A&R Joshua Sarubin the responsibility of overseeing Lavigne's development and the recording of her debut album. They spent several months in New York working with different co-writers, trying to forge an individual sound for her. Sarubin told [[HitQuarters]] that they initially struggled; although early collaborations with songwriter-producers including Sabelle Breer, [[Curt Frasca]] and Peter Zizzo resulted in some good songs, they did not match her or her voice. It was only when Lavigne went to Los Angeles in May 2001 and created two songs with [[The Matrix (production team)|the Matrix]] production team—including "[[Complicated (Avril Lavigne song)|Complicated]]", later released as her debut single—that the record company felt she had made a major breakthrough. Lavigne worked further with the Matrix and also with singer-songwriter [[Clif Magness]]. Recording of Lavigne's debut album, ''[[Let Go (Avril Lavigne album)|Let Go]]'', finished in January 2002.{{r|hitquarters}}

Lavigne released ''Let Go'' in June 2002 in the US, where it reached number two on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] albums chart. It peaked at number one in Australia, Canada, and the UK—this made Lavigne, at 17 years old, the youngest female soloist to have a number-one album on the [[UK Albums Chart]] at that time.{{r|aboutlamb}} By the end of 2002, the album was certified four-times Platinum by the [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]], making her the bestselling female artist of 2002 and ''Let Go'' the top-selling debut of the year.{{r|riaadiamond}} By May 2003, ''Let Go'' had accumulated over 1 million sales in Canada, receiving a diamond certification from the [[Canadian Recording Industry Association]].{{r|criadiamond}} By 2009, the album had sold over 16 million units worldwide.{{r|transworldnews}} By March 2018, the RIAA certified the album seven-times Platinum, denoting shipments of over seven million units in the US.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/GP_March_2018.pdf |title=RIAA GOLD & PLATINUM AWARDS March // 3/1/18 – 3/31/18 |website=[[RIAA]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423232242/http://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/GP_March_2018.pdf |archive-date=April 23, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Lavigne's debut single, "Complicated", peaked at number one in Australia and number two in the US. "Complicated" was one of the bestselling Canadian singles of 2002, and one of the decade's biggest hits in the US,{{r|billboarddecadehot100}} where subsequent singles "Sk8er Boi" and "[[I'm with You (Avril Lavigne song)|I'm with You]]" reached the top ten.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Avril Lavigne |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/avril-lavigne/chart-history| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211021/https://www.billboard.com/music/avril-lavigne/chart-history| archive-date=October 21, 2021 |magazine=Billboard}}{{cbignore}}</ref> With these three singles, Lavigne became the second artist in history to have three top-ten songs from a debut album on ''Billboard''{{'}}s [[Mainstream Top 40]] chart.{{r|reuterstop40}} Lavigne was named [[MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist|Best New Artist]] (for "Complicated") at the [[2002 MTV Video Music Awards]],{{r|thestarmtv}} won four [[Juno Awards]] in 2003 out of six nominations,{{r|billboardjuno}} received a [[World Music Awards|World Music Award]] for "World's Bestselling Canadian Singer", and was nominated for eight [[Grammy Award]]s, including [[Grammy Award for Best New Artist|Best New Artist]] and [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]] for "Complicated".{{r|hollywoodgrammy}}

In 2002, Lavigne made a cameo appearance in the music video for "[[Hundred Million]]" by the pop punk band [[Treble Charger]].{{r|cbcnewstreble}} In March 2003, Lavigne posed for the cover of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine,{{r|rollingstonecover}} and in May she performed "[[Fuel (Metallica song)|Fuel]]" during MTV's Icon tribute to [[Metallica]].{{r|mtvdowney}}{{r|mtviconmetallica}} During her first headlining tour, the Try to Shut Me Up Tour, Lavigne covered [[Green Day]]'s "[[Basket Case (song)|Basket Case]]".{{r|sfgatesullivan}}