Avril Lavigne May 4, 2008

Avril Lavigne is a girl who knows what she wants. And when it came to writing her eagerly awaited third album, 'The Best Damn Thing,' she had one very clear goal in mind --- to make it fun. While touring in 2004 for her last album, 'Under My Skin,' which sold more than 8 million copies worldwide, the Canadian-born punk-pop dynamo found that her favorite songs to play were the faster, more up-tempo songs so she resolved to make a record that captured the kind of high-spirited, full-throttle energy that she loved to unleash on-stage. The Boston-area band Boys Like Girls has been able to develop a devout following by focusing on making lasting connections with its fans. "I like to listen to music that makes me feel a certain way--either it reminds me of something important that happened or a certain time in my life," says Boys Like Girls frontman Martin Johnson. "If kids are feeling that way about our songs, I couldn't ask for anything more."