Head Above Water Album • Avril Lavigne • 2019

Head Above Water is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter 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 (2013), marking the longest gap between two of her studio albums, and is her first and only album recorded for the new incarnation of BMG (she was originally signed to the first incarnation of BMG, which later became Sony Music). 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 2018, "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 2019.

Head Above Water received generally mixed reviews from music critics. While some praised Lavigne's vocal performance, themes and maturity compared to the singer's previous works, some noted the "generic" sound of the album, criticizing the lyrics and production of certain songs. The album debuted at number five on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, making it Lavigne's sixth album to enter the top ten in Canada. In the United States the album debuted at number thirteen on the Billboard 200 chart. On its second week the album fell to number 113. On the Billboard Independent Albums, the album peaked at number one, the album peaked at number five on the US Top Album Sales Billboard and stayed on the chart for six weeks. In the United Kingdom the album debuted and peaked at number ten on the UK Albums OCC chart with sales of 5,766 equivalent units. It also went straight to number one on the UK Independent Albums.

In support of the album, Lavigne embarked on the Head Above Water Tour, starting on September 14, 2019 (her first tour in nearly five years following the Avril Lavigne Tour).