Avril Lavigne is back. In a lengthy letter to fans posted on her website, the singer announces that after a five-year battle with Lyme Disease, she’ll release a new song, “Head Above Water,” on September 19th.
“Those were the worst years of my life as I went through both physical and emotional battles,” Avril writes. “I was able to turn that fight into music I’m really proud of...words and lyrics that were so true to my experience came pouring out of me effortlessly.”
She says that “by keeping my spirits up, having goals to reach and a purpose to live for, my music helped to heal me and keep me alive.”
Of “Head Above Water,”‘ she says, “It is...the first song I wrote from my bed, during one of the scariest moments of my life. I had accepted death and could feel my body shutting down. I felt like I was drowning. Like I was going under water and I just needed to come up for air.”
Avril also announced that her foundation will now provide Lyme prevention resources. Soon, she will launch an initiative to educate and help others fighting the disease.
“A single bug bite can f**k you up hard,” she says bluntly, adding, “I’m taking my life back into my own hands and doing what it is I know I am meant to be doing in this life time. Making music. And sharing my healing and hope, through my music.”
“I now have a very strong, triumphant, powerful and true record to me and my experiences over the last few years,” she writes. “I’m so excited to be returning with new music and to have you on this journey with me. Let’s do this!”
Avril’s last album was her self-titled 2013 disc.