AVRIL Lavigne is hot property. Plenty of 17-year-old wannabe singer-songwriters get ignored.

Look back to 2000 to find the marvellous Lene Marlin. Who? She had a couple of minor hits with Sitting Down Here and Unforgiveable Sinner, but the world could not have cared less. In the soaring Mobile, Avril Lavigne's music isn't far removed. What marks Lavigne out for success, however, is the street cred she carries with her straight out of the skate park. Lyrically, teen angst is to the fore - identity, love, place in the world, you know the score. Take chart hit Complicated, for example, with its refrain of "Acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated". It's the kind of thing you felt about friends while they were busily trying to find out who they were. But when delivered with sincerity, a real passion and no little skill, the whole package adds up to an artist who must not end up on the list of those who got ignored.

Updated: 09:23 Thursday, October 24, 2002