Avril Lavigne's "Hello Kitty" Music Video Premieres...and We Wish it Hadn't

Hello Kitty" is yet another one of Avril Lavigne's desperate attempts to remain relevant in the mainstream music world.

The song, which appears on Lavigne's latest album, 'Avril Lavigne,' harkens back to Gwen Stefani's Harajuku girl days. In the video, the Canadian pop star sports a pink tutu with cupcake embellishments, a black bustier, finger-less gloves, sneakers, and a Skrillex-inspired haircut.

Throughout the duration of the video she skips around candy stores and streets, shaking her hips, enthusiastically making faces at the camera, and snacking on sushi.

As if that weren't bad enough, all the while she is followed by four expressionless, identically dressed Asian women, who serve as her posse and perform robotic dances moves in the background.

Even if we could disregard the video's blatant cultural appropriation, the song itself is simply a mess. Just hearing the opening lines ("Min'na saiko arigato, k-k-k-kawaii, k-k-k-kawaii"), and Lavigne's poorly executed Japanese, one can't help but cringe.

Deviating from Lavinge's trademark bubble-gum pop sound, the song incorporates techno and dub-step elements, much to listeners' dismay.

Paired with the elementary chorus, "K-k-k-kawaii / Hello Kitty, hello Kitty /Hello Kitty, you're so pretty/Hello Kitty, hello Kitty/Hello Kitty, you're so silly," the effect is more grating than infectious.

Its clear that Lavigne is trying to cater to a new audience of pre-teen girls, now that the following she had during her "sk8er boi" days has grown up and moved on.

We wish that she'd give up that old shtick and put her effort into producing something more sincere, that shows how she has matured as an artist; she certainly has the voice, as many of the songs on her earlier albums reveal.

Pop is her thing, sure, but this just feels tacky and forced.

You can watch the whole train wreck that is "Hello Kitty" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mVHEPwS8lYc