In November 2000, Ken Krongard, an A&R representative, invited Antonio 'L.A.' Reid, then head of Arista Records, to producer Peter Zizzo's Manhattan studio to hear Lavigne sing. The album was further promoted by the Try to Shut Me Up Tour between December 2002 and June 2003. On 18 March 2013, Let Go was re-released as a double disc-set paired with her second studio album, Under My Skin, which is released under RCA Records. The album is considered one of the albums that changed the pop punk music scene, because it helped to bring pop punk music into the mainstream, contributing to the rise of female fronted pop punk bands and female-driven punk-influenced pop music. A Rolling Stone readers' poll named Let Go the fourth best album of the 2000s. According to Billboard, the album was the 21st best-selling album of the decade. Let Go had sold over 16 million copies worldwide becoming Lavigne's highest-selling album to date and the best selling album of the 21st century by a Canadian artist. It also did extremely well in Canada, receiving a diamond certification from Music Canada, as well as reaching multi-platinum in many countries around the world, including the UK in which she became the youngest female solo artist to have a number-one album in the region. It was released to generally positive reviews, although Lavigne's songwriting received some criticism. The album was credited as the biggest pop debut of 2002 and was certified seven-times Platinum in the United States. Critics described Let Go as an alternative rock album with a post-grunge-oriented sound. She was paired with the production team the Matrix, who understood her vision for the album.

She relocated to Los Angeles, where she recorded her earlier materials for the album, the sound of which the label did not approve. For a year after signing a record deal with Arista, Lavigne struggled due to conflicts in musical direction. It was released on 4 June 2002 by Arista Records.

Let Go is the debut studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne.

Let go avril lavigne cd