Avril Lavigne has announced the date for her first new album in five years following a battle with Lyme disease.

The Canadian singer, 34, took a break from performing after being struck down with the debilitating illness.

Lavigne announced her intention to return in September, when she released a new song.

On Wednesday, Lavigne released a second track titled Tell Me It’s Over and has now revealed the date for her next album.

Head Above Water will be released on February 15 2019, the singer said on Twitter.

She told fans she was “so excited”. It will be her fifth studio album and first since her 2013 self-titled record.

In September, Lavigne posted an emotional open letter on her website detailing her battle with Lyme disease, which has a range of symptoms and can leave the victim exhausted.

Lavigne, whose early career music mainly fell into the pop punk genre, said she has endured the “worst years of my life” and has been through “both physical and emotional battles”.

She added: “I felt like I was drowning. Like I was going under water and I just needed to come up for air. Like I was in a river being pulled in a current. Unable to breathe.”

Lavigne’s debut album, Let Go, propelled her to international fame in 2002, and she has since sold more than 40 million records worldwide.