Avril Lavigne Is ‘Grateful’ Ex-Husband Worked With Her on ‘Goodbye Lullaby’

Yesterday, Avril Lavigne released her fourth studio album, 'Goodbye Lullaby,' and the singer chatted with Billboard about her latest batch of tracks. The 'What the Hell' singer's latest album features six tracks that were produced by her ex-husband, Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley, whom Billboard also spoke with. Lavigne also opened up about the struggles she had to go through with her label, RCA Records, in order to get the record the way she wanted.

When interviewed by Billboard, punk-pop rocker Whibley spoke about his involvement with the album and Lavigne's recording process. "We had a studio in the house that we were living in together, so it was just really simple," Whibley says. "A lot of the songs I did were just supposed to be demos, but she's the kind of person where, if she does something once, it's usually her best take and she never wants to do it ever again. It would be just a quick demo but it would turn out really well."

Although the pair divorced in November 2010, they are on amicable terms and Lavigne is thankful that Whibley worked with her on the record. "I think I'm pretty lucky, and I feel really grateful to be able to say that we're like best friends, that we're like family," Lavigne goes on to say. "I hope to work with him in the future. We have a great friendship, great relationship and a lot of respect for each other."

For Lavigne, who is now 26 years old, 'Goodbye Lullaby' is a more mature record than her past LPs. "I'm older now. I've done the whole pop-rock, aggressive, bratty, playful, boy-bashing stuff," Lavigne tells Billboard. "I'm not really there right now, so I definitely didn't want to keep making the same record over and over."

"The biggest challenge and only challenge of this album was my record company," Lavigne continues. "I found myself in a situation on my fourth record with a bunch of people at the label who I didn't know, and they're coming in on my project and saying, 'Here's what we think you need to do for your record,' and giving me their vision. And radio's so rhythmic/dance-driven right now, and that's not where I was going with this record. So I had to fight and say no, but … I ultimately made the record I wanted to."

Lavigne also spoke about a possible tour, explaining that she already has a vision for her future performances. "I think I'll do more stripped-down, acoustic stuff, like me on the piano, but I definitely don't wanna make my whole show like that," says Lavigne. "I'll have those moments and then rock out with the old stuff."