Reemergent pop singer Avril Lavigne, who, after a five-year hiatus, debuted new music last fall, is taking heat for her newest single, “I Fell in Love with the Devil.”
When her first single, “Head Above Water,” debuted in September, the 34-year-old rocker garnered a brand new group of fans: Christians inspired by her message that it was God alone who carried her through her battle with Lyme disease.
Though “I Fell in Love with the Devil” has been out since February, when the rest of the album came out, Lavigne has recently promoted the edgy single on her social media accounts.
During the song’s chorus, Lavigne sings:
I fell in love with the devil
And now I’m in trouble
I fell in love with the devil
I’m underneath his spell
Someone send me an angel
To lend me a halo
I fell in love with the devil
Please, save me from this hell
The “Sk8er Boi” singer explained during an interview earlier this year with a German newspaper, Aargauer Zeitung, that the song is about a real-life unhealthy relationship she engaged in during her battle with Lyme disease.
“It was fierce and I was really scared,” she said. “I was still weakened and already so vulnerable and fearful and insecure at the time. Then he came. That was what they call a ‘toxic relationship.’”
“The only good thing is that it did not take long,” she added. “I’m out of there fast, literally stormed. And as so often with me, a song evolved from the experience.”
Regardless, some Instagram users were quick to condemn Lavigne for the song, according to Global News.
One Instagram user wrote, “You need Jesus. What was up with the last single, ‘Head Above Water?’ God saved you and blessed you with another opportunity to choose. Now you have this crap?”
“Are you Christian? Or are you mocking Jesus?” wrote another.
Yet another commenter added, “I’ll have to unfollow you now. How can you fall in love with the Devil when God created you with [the] amazing talent which made [you] so famous?”
Lavigne promoted the song with a hashtag, #AvrilsDevilCampaign, which she used for a contest, asking fans to use her photos to create their own ideas of promotional artwork for the single. The winner would be given $1,000 cash as well as credit for his or her creation.
Ultimately, the entertainer chose a simplistic, red design featuring a photo of Lavigne in a red dress with a black cross on her forehead.