Following a five-year break, Avril Lavigne is back on tour, taking her sixth studio album, Head Above Water, out on the road, including a planned Pittsburgh stop.

Lavigne, 35, first drew attention in 2002 while a teenager with the hit singles and videos Complicated and Sk8er Boi from the album Let Go.

Ball cap on backward, liner rimming her eyes, wearing baggy clothes and a skinny tie, Lavigne was the anti-video vixen featured in many MTV videos at the time.

She came across as sassy, challenging, possessed of a lot of tude.

Lavigne may be older, more resilient, but the sass and the attitude remain, maybe with a little more self-awareness and self-protection.

Rolling Stone says, Lavignes never sounded stronger or more vocally confident, while Idolator calls the album a triumphant return. contains some of her best work to date.

She will take the Roxian Theater stage in McKees Rocks on Oct. 8, part of her 15-date, North American tour.

Not so complicated

The video for her current single, I Fell in Love With The Devil, is seductive, mysterious and beautiful yet unsettling to watch, as she grapples with an irresistible but toxic lover.

Its a song she wrote and helped produce, and theres a clear message being delivered.

I did make the decision to walk away from someone who is not the right person. Its about knowing your worth, keeping your eyes open, being careful about who comes into your life, Lavigne says in a telephone interview.

I love this music video so much. Its one of my favorite ones Ive ever made. Its a huge passion treatment for me, she says.

Lavigne taps into some of her earlier musics angst, frustration, and zero toleration for fools in the fun (I Aint No) Dumb Blonde, featuring another tough girl, Nicki Minaj.

Its taking a stand, not letting a man negate or talk down to you and says its also OK to be a woman and be strong and have opinions and be tough, Lavigne says.

Step back, your time is up, sit down, Im takin the lead should make her meaning clear.

Back on her feet and on stage

The title track, Lavigne says, reflects her fight back to health after being diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2014, and being bed-bound with exhaustion.

Head Above Water is about my health journey, when I was recovering. It was the first song I wrote. I was taking time off and going through treatment and it just came to me. I thought other people could relate if they were going through a struggle in their life, she says.

One dollar from each ticket sale during the tour will benefit the Avril Lavigne Foundation.

Begun before she was diagnosed, the foundation supports people with serious illness or disabilities. It has expanded to include those suffering from Lyme disease through a partnership with Global Lyme Alliance, on whose board Lavigne serves.

Programs and grants provide prevention resources, fund treatment and accelerate research, according to the foundations website.

Shes learned a lot, she says, about music therapy through starting the foundation.

Its true, creativity is good for the body and mind, she says.

Lavigne is careful to follow an organic, gluten-free diet and to get plenty of sleep and exercise.

I try to take care of myself. I find music to be really healing for me. When Im singing and being creative and working, I just go to this other place, she says.

Expect to see some of her earlier pop princess swagger in her performance.

Youll see and hear a lot of the new album. I will definitely bring back the old favorites. I feel like the tour is going to be this cool journey, in a way, from my past to who I am now.

I feel strong. I feel good. I have my life back, she says.

Mary Pickels is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Mary at 724-836-5401, [emailprotected] or via Twitter .

David Needleman

Avril Lavignes new album, "Head Above Water," features the ballad - with a twist - "I Fell In Love With The Devil."

David Needleman

Avril Lavigne will bring her "Head Above Water" tour to Pittsburgh on Oct. 8.

Avril Lavigne "Head Above Water" tourWhen: 8 p.m. Oct. 8Admission: $60.50-$255.50Where: Roxian Theatre, 425 Chartiers Ave., McKees RocksDetails: eventbrite.com

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'Head Above Water,' Avril Lavigne still a bit 'Complicated' - TribLIVE