美梦成真 (2003)

Breakaway is the second studio album by American singer Kelly Clarkson, released on November 30, 2004, in Canada and in the United States, by RCA Records, with a wider release following throughout 2005. Despite the commercial success of Clarkson's debut album Thankful (2003), music critics still continued to typecast her as an American Idol winner and were also critical of her attempts of establishing a commercial appeal on her own. Wanting to stray from those, she collaborated with a range of new songwriters and producers such as Dr. Luke, Max Martin, John Shanks, Kara DioGuardi, and with former Evanescence members Ben Moody and David Hodges. This overhaul also led her to part ways with her manager Simon Fuller and hire the management services of Jeff Kwatinetz before the album's release.

A sonic departure from the R&B-oriented Thankful, Breakaway is primarily a pop rock record with rock and soul elements, whose lyrics explore themes of heartbreak, love, and escapism. It received a positive response from music critics, with many commending the album's new-found pop rock sound and Clarkson's vocal performances. It won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards, garnering many other nominations and awards.

Breakway became a commercial success worldwide; with estimated sales of 12 million copies worldwide, it is one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century. It topped the charts of Ireland and Netherlands and reached the top ten in a number of countries, being the seventh best-selling album of 2005. In the United States, it debuted and peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, staying on the top twenty of the chart for over a year due to the continued success of its singles. It eventually was certified 6× multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of more than six million copies.

Breakaway's singles "Since U Been Gone", "Behind These Hazel Eyes", "Because of You", "Walk Away", and "Breakaway" became worldwide hits and have become some of Clarkson's signature songs. Their successes prompted Billboard to credit her for landscaping the core sound of mainstream pop music as an uptempo dance-oriented sound in the 2000s. Furthermore, Breakaway established Clarkson as one of the four highest-selling acts of Sony BMG in the 2000s. To promote the album, Clarkson embarked on three international concert tours from 2005 to 2006: the Breakaway Tour, Hazel Eyes Tour, and the Addicted Tour. Billboard placed the album 77th in the Greatest of All Time Billboard 200 Albums.

Background and production

In early 2004, Clarkson began working on new material for her second studio album, which followed her successful debut album Thankful (2003), while co-headlining the Independent Tour with Clay Aiken, the runner-up from the second season of American Idol. She had also expressed intentions to record with Fantasia Barrino, who had then just won the series' third season; both were expected to release their albums in the same month.

As she began to work for the album with music executive Clive Davis, Clarkson was invited by Whitney Houston to record the song "Breakaway", which would be included for the soundtrack of the 2004 Walt Disney Pictures feature film The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, which Houston had co-produced. The song, written by Matthew Gerrard, Bridget Benenate, and Avril Lavigne, was initially written for Lavigne's debut album Let Go (2002) but deemed unsuitable for the album's themes at the time. Initially reluctant, Clarkson agreed to record the song. "Breakaway" was first released in July 2004 by Walt Disney Records as a single from the soundtrack, acting as an interim record until her second album's lead single was released. After debuting on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 60, it peaked at number six, a week before the album's release.

In April 2004, Clarkson entered the studio immediately after the Independent Tour. She said in an interview, "I've written most of (the songs) so far, but there's some people who have some stuff for me. I'm not one of those people who thinks you have to write everything. (I'll sing it) as long as I can relate to it." During the album's development, Davis revealed that he was reluctant to let Clarkson write material for the album. He mentioned "I always encourage people to write their own songs, but in the pop arena, where the career is totally dependent on hits, you get skeptical. Artists with great voices like Melissa Manchester and Taylor Dayne could have had much longer careers if they didn't insist on writing their own material."