The Truth Behind the Avril Lavigne Clone Conspiracy: Singer’s Response and How the Rumor Began

If you’re puzzled, here’s the scoop: Avril burst onto the music scene at 17 with hits like “Complicated” and “Sk8er Boi” in 2002. The theory suggests that shortly after her debut album, Let Go, Avril took her own life due to the pressures of fame and her grandfather’s death. Conspiracy theorists claim Melissa Vandella, initially hired to distract the paparazzi, was trained to sing and perform like Avril and took over her life completely after her supposed death.

The story first emerged in 2005 but gained traction in 2011 thanks to a Brzilian blog called Avril Está Morta, or “Avril Is Dead.” Despite the blog admitting that it is a hoax, many people accepted the presented “evidence.”

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Adding fuel to the fire, some believe Avril’s 2004 album, Under My Skin, contains hidden messages where Melissa allegedly confesses she’s not the real Avril. This conspiracy has repeatedly resurfaced on social media, with viral threads keeping the speculation alive despite Avril’s denials.

In a 2017 Facebook livestream, Avril responded to a fan’s question about her death by saying, “No, I’m not dead; I’m here. People are just bored and need something to talk about.” In 2018, on the Australian radio show Kyle and Jackie O, Lavigne called the theory “so weird” and in 2019 told Entertainment Weekly she was “flabbergasted” by the persistence of the rumor.

Recently, on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Avril laughed off the rumor. Host Alexandra Cooper asked about the crazy conspiracy, and Avril replied, “There’s a conspiracy theory that I’m not me.” She gave a thumbs-up, adding, “Honestly, it’s not that bad. It could be worse, right? I feel like I got a good one. I don’t think it’s negative or anything creepy, so it’s like, we’re good.”

Alexandra noted the theory was a bit creepy, but Avril shrugged it off. When asked if it bothers her that people might comment saying, “That’s Melissa, not Avril,” she responded, “Obviously I am me. It’s so dumb.”

Avril insisted other artists have faced similar rumors and joked with Alexandra, “Oh, I mean, I feel like you might believe it!” Alexandra sympathized, saying it’s crazy and praised Avril for not caring. Avril confirmed she doesn’t, and when Alexandra asked, “Your name is Avril Lavigne?” Avril joked, “Yeah! I knew you half-believed it!”

Fans appreciate Avril’s humor about the situation. On Reddit, one commented, “I’m glad she finds it funny because it truly is the most ridiculous theory ever, yet it’s endured for like over a decade.” Another added, “She seems so chill and kickass, like someone you’d have a drink and laugh with.” A third quipped, “At this point, Melissa has been Avril for longer than Avril was Avril, so I feel like we need to just accept Melissa for who she is: Avril.” While another teased, “Sounds like something Melissa would say 👀”