''So Real'' is the debut studio album by American singer

Mandy Moore Amanda Leigh Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to fame with her debut single, "Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Her debut studio album, '' So Real'' (1999), recei ...

. The album was released on December 7, 1999, in the United States by

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

. The album was released at a critical turning point in pop music - known as the teen pop revival - which saw other teen artists such as

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

and

Jessica Simpson Jessica Ann Simpson (born July 10, 1980) is an American singer, actress, entrepreneur and philanthropist. After performing in church choirs as a child, Simpson signed with Columbia Records in 1997, aged seventeen. Her debut studio album, '' Swe ...

release their debut albums that same year to commercial and critical success. Conceptually, the album addresses themes such as teenage love, romance and heartbreak, all of which were common subjects in teen pop music at the time. ''So Real'' became a moderate hit in the United States, reaching a peak of 31 on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart, as well as being certified Platinum by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

, for shipments of over 1 million. The album spawned a top 50 hit with "

Candy Candy, also called sweets (British English) or lollies (Australian English Australian English (AusE, AusEng, AuE, AuEng, en-AU) is the set of varieties of the English language native to Australia. It is the country's common language an ...

" and went gold within three months in the RIAA.RIAA certification searchable database - "Mandy Moore"
.

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

Five months following the release of ''So Real'', it was reissued as '' I Wanna Be with You'', which also served as Moore's debut album internationally.

Singles

" was released as Moore' debut single on August 17, 1999. The song received generally favorable critical reviews from critics, mostly praising its composition. It performed moderately well on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking just outside the top 40 at #41. It entered the chart on #88 and reached its peak in its eighth week on the chart. It received more success abroad, peaking at #6 in the UK and #2 in Australia. The music video, which was directed by Chris Robinson, had a cameo by the

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...

PYT. "

Walk Me Home "Walk Me Home" is a song recorded by American singer Pink for her eighth studio album, ''Hurts 2B Human'' (2019). The track was announced during an interview on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' broadcast on February 6, 2019, and it was released as the ...

" was released on December 6, 1999 as the second single in the US; the song failed to chart when it was first released. In October 2000, the song was re-released to promote ''I Wanna Be with You'' and peaked at #38 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009. It ranked songs based on airplay on Mainstream Top 40 radio stations, singles s ...

chart.

Reception

Reviews among music critics were generally mixed. Said William Ruhlmann of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, "fifteen-year-old Mandy Moore's debut album sounded like it was inspired almost entirely by listening to recent hit albums by 'N Sync, the Backstreet Boys, and Britney Spears," citing stylistic similarities between album tracks "So Real" and "Let Me Be the One" to the Backstreet Boys' "Backstreet's Back", and saying that Moore's "occasional growls" were similar to Spears' "...Baby One More Time". Ruhlmann stated that Moore could "carry a tune", but "with no particular distinction", saying that aside from her singing, the music was "mediocre". Stephanie Mcgrath from the Canadian publication

Jam! Jam! was a Canadian website which covers entertainment news. It was part of the Canoe.com online portal, formerly owned and operated by Quebecor through its Sun Media division, and now owned by Postmedia Network. Jam! was the only media outlet ...

compared the album to the work of

and

; she also labeled the material as "a mediocre collection that could fade quickly unless "Candy" continues to catch on with young pop fanatics". Overall, she stated, "If female pop is what you crave, opt for Jessica Simpson or Britney Spears".

Commercial performance

Initially, the album debuted at number 71 on the ''Billboard'' 200, significantly lower than expected by

. The first single from the album was not a major hit, as it peaked just outside the top 40 at #41 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

. The album reached No. 31, being the highest, and sold 950,000 in United States and was certified Platinum by the

, for shipments of over 1 million.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits for ''So Real'' adapted from

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. *

– primary artist * Tony Battaglia – composer * Dakari – guest artist * Shaun Fisher – composer * Jive – guest artist * Billy Lawrence – guest artist * T. Moran – composer * David Rice – composer * Mark Stevens – composer

Charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1999 debut albums Mandy Moore albums Epic Records albums Contemporary R&B albums by American artists Bubblegum pop albums