Pop Singer Avril Lavigne Takes a Surprising — and Actually Important — Turn with Her New Release

Well — this was unexpected.

I wrote on Tuesday that America is in need of a revival.

Part of that potential spiritual revitalization seems poised to come from a very unlikely source: pop singer Avril Lavigne.

After five years out of the spotlight, Lavigne has released a song called “Head Above Water,” which deals with her battle with Lyme disease. The single, surprisingly, is a worship song.

Music about her relationship with God is a quite a new thing for Lavigne, professionally.

In 2015, Avril revealed to Rolling Stone that she’d been “bedridden,” having fought the disease for a year at that time. In a new article with the music and culture publication, Lavigne explains the writing of the song via a statement:

“I thought I was dying, and I had accepted that I was going to die. My mom laid with me in bed and held me. I felt like I was drowning. Under my breath, I prayed ‘God, please help to keep my head above the water.’ In that moment, the song writing of this album began. It was like I tapped into something. It was a very spiritual experience. Lyrics flooded through me from that point on.”

The following are the lyrics to the song:

I’ve gotta keep the calm before the storm / I don’t want less / I don’t want more / Must bar the windows and the doors / To keep me safe to keep me warm / Yeah my life is what I’m fighting for / Can’t part the sea / Can’t reach the shore / And my voice becomes the driving force / I won’t let this pull me overboard

God keep my head above water / Don’t let me drown / It gets harder / I’ll meet you there at the altar / As I fall down to my knees / Don’t let me drown / Don’t let me drown

So pull me up from down below / ‘Cause I’m underneath the undertow / Come dry me off and hold me close / I need you now I need you most / God keep my head above water / Don’t let me drown / It gets harder / I’ll meet you there at the altar / As I fall down to my knees / Don’t let me drown

Avril isn’t alone in her recent travels from pop to faith: on September 8th, popular singer Tori Kelly released her first Christian record, Hiding Place, co-written with longtime Gospel artist Kirk Franklin.

With the launch of a charitable t-shirt campaign alongside the release of “Head Above Water,” the Avril Lavigne Foundation will be raising money to benefit less fortunate individuals affected by Lyme disease.

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