Avril Lavigne discussed the infamous “Melissa” conspiracy theory in her first-ever podcast interview.
The pop-punk princess, who will turn 40 years old in September, recently appeared on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddypodcast, where she was asked about the craziest rumor she’s ever heard about herself — though Cooper had already hinted at the conspiracy theory.
“Oh, yeah that one, I know what you’re talking about,” Lavigne said. “I mean, it’s just funny to me. On one end, everyone’s like, ‘Oh my god, you look the exact same. You haven’t aged a day!’ But then other people are like, there’s a conspiracy theory that I’m not me?”
The theory in question has been talked about online for over a decade, and essentially argues that Lavigne died by suicide in 2003 after the release of her debut album Let Go, and was replaced by a look-alike named Melissa Vandella.
Thus, believers think Vandella sang on every one of Lavigne’s albums since then — from 2004’s Under My Skin all the way to 2022’s Love Sux.
“Cool. Honestly, it’s not that bad, it could be worse,” Lavigne continued. “I feel like I got a good one… I mean obviously I am me, it’s so dumb!”
The singer laughed as Cooper provided context about the theory, and added that there are similar theories about other musicians as well. Another prominent one within the rock world, in particular, surrounded Paul McCartney — a conspiracy known as “Paul Is Dead” — which stated that the Beatle died in a car accident in 1966.
Watch the full podcast episode below. Lavigne and Cooper dive into the “Melissa” subject at around the 42:00 time mark.
Avril Lavigne Discusses ‘Melissa’ Conspiracy Theory in First-Ever Podcast Interview
How Did the Melissa Vandella Conspiracy Theory Start?
The concept apparently started around 2011 with the Brazilian blog Avril Está Morta, or “Avril Is Dead.” Four years later, it went viral when a BuzzFeed reporter tweeted about the theory after he learned about the blog while visiting Brazil.
READ MORE: 10 of the Most Bizarre Conspiracy Theories in Rock + Metal
In 2017, the theory resurfaced on the 15th anniversary of her single “Complicated” from the album Let Go when an individual wrote a thread of posts about it on Twitter that pointed out “evidence” in support of the theory.
The thread pointed out differences in Lavigne’s appearance — despite the fact that she was just 17 when Let Go came out — her fashion style, voice, handwriting and more. You can see it for yourself here.
