Avril Lavigne was struck down with the bacterial infection Lyme disease after her 30th birthday in 2014. She was bedridden for nearly half a year and it took her many months afterwards to get over it. She recorded "Warrior" about her battle with the lifesucking illness as the closing track of Head Above Water. When COVID-19 struck in March 2020, Lavigne had to cancel her plans and self-isolate at home. Watching the news, Lavigne became inspired by the medical professionals and essential workers risking their lives every day to help others, and decided she wanted to get involved and contribute. "I was at home racking my brain like what could I do?" she told American Songwriter. "Everyone out there on the frontlines, they are warriors." This gave Lavigne the idea of reworking "Warriors," changing the lyrics to apply to the frontline workers. She re-recorded it from her home studio with the new title "We Are Warriors" and released the revamped version on April 24, 2020.
Lavigne enlisted Lindsey Stirling to add her violin to the track. "She and I were wanting to work together for a very long time. So this was the perfect opportunity," she explained.
Proceeds from "We Are Warriors" go to Project HOPE, benefitting medical staff on the frontlines amid the pandemic.
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