Breakout (Miley Cyrus Album)

''Breakout'' is the second studio album by American singer Miley Cyrus, released on July 22, 2008, by Hollywood Records. Despite being her second album, it is her first record not affiliated with the television series ''Hannah Montana'', as '' Meet Miley Cyrus'' was released as part of a joint album with her character. The majority of the record was composed as she traveled during her headlining Best of Both Worlds Tour (2007–08). Overall, ''Breakout'' is dominant on pop rock but explores a variety of other musical genres. Lyrical themes addressed in the album relate to breakups and coming of age. Most of the album was produced by Rock Mafia. Matthew Wiler and Scott Cutler also produced. Cyrus co-wrote eight out of thirteen tracks.

''Breakout'' was met with generally favorable reception from music critics, though some believed the tracks were not a significant departure from the ''Hannah Montana'' franchise. The album encountered commercial success and introduced Cyrus in new countries. The album peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 for one week selling 370,000 copies, also becoming the third solo artist to chart on the ''Billboard'' 200 under age eighteen twice, and seventh overall. It is Cyrus' third album to do so, and was eventually certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Elsewhere, ''Breakout'' topped the Canadian Albums Chart for two consecutive weeks and the Australian Albums Chart for one week. The album also charted within the top ten in Hungary, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Three singles were released from ''Breakout''. "7 Things" was released on June 17, 2008, as the lead single from the album; it was commercially successful, reaching the top ten on charts in various countries. The second single, "Fly on the Wall" was released on November 4, 2008, as the final single.

Background

Cyrus is a singer-songwriter and actress who starred as Miley Stewart, a girl with a secret double life as the popstar Hannah Montana, on the Disney Channel television series ''Hannah Montana''. Through the television series, Cyrus developed fame as a teen idol and released music while being credited to Hannah Montana. Cyrus' debut studio album, titled ''Meet Miley Cyrus'', was released as the second disc of the '' Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus'' (2007) double-disc album. ''Breakout'' is Cyrus' second studio album and her first not be affiliated with the ''Hannah Montana'' franchise, which was intended to be reflected by the title of the album. She believed it was her "breakout record", where she was going to "show everyone what Miley Cyrus is all about." Cyrus further explained the album was also appropriately titled because it portrayed her "stepping away from Hannah but just a little bit different." She also decided to title the album after the song " Breakout" because it was "one of erfavorite songs".

Cyrus believed that compared to previous albums, ''Breakout'' was "grown-up" and "just a little more creative." Cyrus aimed to incorporate a sound influenced by rock music, saying "the writing is definitely different...the lyrics mean more than my last couple of records". According to Cyrus, the album documented, in depth, the events that occurred in her life in a year span. Most of the songs were written as Cyrus traveled on the Best of Both Worlds Tour from October 2007 to January 2008. In an interview for Billboard, Cyrus stated that she pushed herself even more to write the songs this time, saying that, “No matter how long what I’m doing here lasts, I want to be a songwriter for the rest of my life. I love it and it’s my escape. I just hope this record showcases that — more than anything — I’m a writer.”

Recording commenced immediately after the tour came to an end, and seized in March 2008,''Breakout'' liner notes DHollywood Records (2008). for Cyrus was to film '' Hannah Montana: The Movie'' (2009) in Tennessee soon after. She expressed that, through each song, a listener could discover something about her and about themselves. Of connecting with her fans through ''Breakout'', she claimed she wanted "girls to feel to be able to feel empowered and just feel like they can kind of rock out", going on to say that, "listening to this music, I hope they can feel like a reason to dance and just smile and to have fun. This CD is totally age appropriate, specially for me".

Development

"Breakout" was written by Ted Bruner, in collaboration with Trey Vittetoe and Gina Schock of the Go-Go's. It was first recorded by American pop singer Katy Perry, for her second album ''One of the Boys'' (2008), though it was never included for the album and was passed on to Cyrus, on whose version Perry sings backing vocals. Like most songs on ''Breakout'', Cyrus wrote "7 Things" while traveling on the Best of Both Worlds Tour, reflecting on her numerous emotions about an ex-boyfriend