Avril Lavigne has recorded a cover of Kelly Clarkson’s “Breakaway” – a song Lavigne co-wrote and considered using on her debut album.
The 37-year-old singer released her version to mark Saturday's 20th anniversary of Let Go.
Lavigne wrote “Breakaway” with fellow Canadian Matthew Gerrard as well as Bridget Benenate. “I was leaving my small town, went to the city, I took a chance, I took a leap of faith on my career – it was like, a very scary thing,” Lavigne recalled, in a video posted on the Instagram account of The Kelly Clarkson Show in March.
“Leaving my world behind and taking a chance, was what this song was written about.”
Lavigne, who was raised in Napanee, Ont., wrote: "Grew up in a small town / and when the snow would fall down / I'd just stare out my window / dreaming of what could be."
Lavigne said Clarkson “did an amazing job” with the song, which she recorded for the 2004 soundtrack to The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. The success of “Breakaway” as a single led Clarkson to make it the title track of her second studio album and the name of her 2005 tour.
“She slayed,” Lavigne said. “She did an incredible job with it.”
Lavigne reflected on her debut album in an Instagram post on Saturday. “I will never be able to fully explain not only how much this album meant to me, but the monumental impact it has had on my life,” she wrote. “It’s hard to try and comprehend how, 20 years later, the songs I wrote as a 17 year old would still resonate with people today. It’s pretty crazy.
“It put me on a path and took me places I never in my wildest dreams could have ever expected and I am thankful for it every single day.”
Lavigne also recognized her fans. “Without you guys, these songs wouldn’t have reached the heights that they did,” she said. “A genuine, heartfelt thank you to anyone that ever listened to my music and stuck around.”
Listen to Lavigne's version of "Breakaway" below: