Black Star over China

Pop queen Avril Lavigne shows how she's been transforming from girlish to womanly as she tours the Middle Kingdom. Chen Nan reports.

Chinese fans went crazy when they heard Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne would attend the New Year's Eve gala in Hubei's provincial capital Wuhan.

They joined the paparazzi to pack the lobby of the Shangri-La Hotel, where Lavigne and her 15-member crew were staying.

They knew Lavigne had flown in on a private jet from Shanghai the day before and wouldn't leave the hotel until showtime.

The audience became frantic when the camera followed Lavigne as she walked through the dimly lit backstage hallway and dashed onstage, brandishing a red microphone.

More than 1,000 fans, mostly young, crammed into the ground floor to catch a fleeting glimpse of the star. They kept security busy, as some hopped over the metal fence and others stood on chairs.

Lavigne is among the most beloved Western stars in China. She headlined the China Music Valley International Festival, performing for a crowd of 40,000, on Beijing's outskirts in March 2011.

She began her Black Star Tour at the end of April 2011 and will finish in February.

She will perform in Guangdong's provincial capital Guangzhou on Feb 11 and in Beijing on Feb 14.

Although Lavigne usually shuns media, she gave a handful of interviews in Wuhan' Shangri-La Hotel before the show.

Clad in a sable blazer and boots, and a black T-shirt emblazoned with a skull, Lavigne appeared more catlike than her triumphant stage persona.

It seemed perhaps representative of her transformation from an unrepentant teen tomboy into a sophisticated woman, since her career began.

While she's sassy onstage, she appeared nervous in the interview seat.

Lavigne paused thoughtfully before answering every question, often twisting her blond hair, narrowing her eyes and pursing her lips.

She laughed loudly at her own accent when answering requests to say "Happy New Year" in Chinese for the cameras. She seemed more girlish than womanly at that moment.

"Speaking Chinese is really hard for me, you know. I've practised for months to sing the lyrics of Girlfriend in Chinese," she says, smiling and muttering, "nupengyou (girlfriend)".

"I spent last year's New Year Eve in Hawaii. And this year, I am here in China with my band, on the other side of the globe. China has been good to me, and I spent lots of time in Asia last year. It's always exciting to see the crowds. The Chinese food is good. I can always find delicious noodles in China."

Lavigne was 16 when she released her debut album, Let Go, which was 2002's best-selling debut.

She has gone on to win fans of many ages with chart-toppers like pop rock hits Skater Boy and Complicated.

She is quick to name her brother as her idol.

"He is always supportive and inspiring," Lavigne says. "I feel safe and comfortable when he is around."

She realizes she has grown up over the past decade.

"Everything is unpredictable, and I just follow my instincts, which made me who I am today," she says.

Her fourth album, Goodbye Lullaby, which was released in March 2011, showcases her songwriting abilities.

"It's a slower-paced album than my previous stuff," she says. "It's very personal and sums up what I've been through in the past few years."

Her drummer explained her transition like this: "She's like your little sister. She is growing up, but she is still the little sister."

Lavigne says she wanted to show a different side of herself.

"Rocking out onstage, running around fist-pumping, jumping - I love to do that. But I also have to be solo at a piano and sing or an acoustic guitar," she explains.

"I don't want to make the same record over and over. For the new album, which I am still working on, I will have energetic songs and slow songs. They are all from my real life."

Lavigne has also morphed into a businesswoman in her late 20s, with her own perfume and fashion line.

An hour before the show, Lavigne was told it was inappropriate to wear a shirt printed with a skull for the New Year's Eve gala, because Chinese audiences might consider the image to be bad luck.

Her team became anxious, as everything had long been planned out and set up.

"It's okay," Lavigne says, giggling.

"I am the stylist. I love black T-shirts, and I've got many. I have one with me without a skull."

The discussion ends with a question about her favorite part of pop stardom.

Without hesitation, she replies: "Playing live. Being on the stage is awesome!"