Breakaway is the second studio album by American recording artist Kelly Clarkson, released on November 30, 2004. Breakaway received two awards at the 48th Grammy Awards for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the hit single "Since U Been Gone".^[1]

The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 for selling 250,000 copies. It was eventually certified 6× Platinum by the RIAA.^[2] It remains Clarkson's best-selling album to date, with sales of 6,160,000 copies sold in the U.S, as of December 2010.^[3] In Australia, after debuting at fifty-four^[4] and peaking at two, Breakaway was Australia's second best-selling album of 2005^[5] and is also the 30th best selling album of all time in that country.^[6] In Canada, Breakaway was certified 5× Platinum for sales of over 500,000 copies shipped.^[7] Billboard listed the album as 29 on their decade-end charts based on sales.^[8] Breakaway has sold over 12 million copies worldwide.^[9][10]

Writing [link]

In June 2004, Clarkson expressed her intentions to collaborate with co-Idol Fantasia Barrino, who were both at the time expected to record an album.^[11] Clarkson wrote some of the tracks featured in the album with assistance from former Evanescence guitarist Ben Moody. She said, "[The new album] is like the first CD in the sense that it's versatile, but it's more into the rock. It's more into the soulful roots, and it's just a little bit deeper."^[12]

The album's title track was written by Canadian pop-rock singer Avril Lavigne, along with Matthew Gerrard, and Bridget Benenate. Originally, Clarkson recorded "Breakaway" to tide fans over until September 2004 when the supposed lead single of the album would hit the airwaves.^[13]

Reception [link]

Critical reception [link]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[14]
Blogcritics	[15]
Robert Christgau	B-[16]
Rolling Stone	[17]
Slant Magazine	[18]
Sputnikmusic	[19]
Stylus Magazine	B[20]
Yahoo! Voices	(positive)[21]

The album received a positive reaction from most music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic gave to the album a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, writing that "what gives Breakaway its spine are the driving, anthemic pop tunes, numbers that sound simultaneously mainstream and youthful, which is a hard trick to pull off, and they are the tracks that illustrate that Kelly Clarkson is a rare thing in the 2000s: a pop singer who's neither hip nor square, just solidly and enjoyably in the mainstream."^[14] He ended up the review, writing that "after a bunch of rather blah mainstream pop albums, including a glut of half-baked AmIdol projects, this is a nice, low-key relief."^[14] Film Laureate from Blogcritics commented that the album "shows her evolution since Thankful (2003), vocally, stylistically, and emotionally."^[15] Dave Donnelly from Sputnikmusic gave to the album a positive review, writing that "Breakaway is by no means the Thriller to her Off The Wall, but Kelly Clarkson has at least created a rare type of album, a pop album which offers a full selection of potential singles, reminiscent of Jackson’s Bad or Thriller, which combines mass appeal with artistic integrity and perceived longevity. Breakaway may be remembered in years to come as a pop classic, alongside Madonna’s early material perhaps.^[19] Courtney Duffield from Yahoo! Voices stated that the album "does exactly what it is suppose to, it takes a big step and proves that Clarkson is not just another reality TV star, but a bonafide musical star in her own right."^[21]

Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine wrote that "though her rocky leanings were hinted at on the less coherent Thankful, Clarkson has always cited Mariah Carey as a primary influence and she still owes a lot to that former powerhouse—vocally, Clarkson tears it up. In a way, Breakaway is what Mariah might sound like if she ever decided to rock out."^[18] Charles Merwin wrote for Stylus Magazine that "Breakaway’s probable non-singles maintain a quality high enough to quell worries about the 'I love the singles, but that’s all I really need to hear' arguments and for now she has a sound that seems believable enough to support her considerable chops."^[20] Shirley Halperin from Rolling Stone wrote a more mixed review, declaring that "unnfortunately, Clarkson isn't ready to own this new sound and you can't help but wonder: Who is the real Kelly Clarkson, and when will she stop wearing her big sister's hand-me-downs?."^[17]

Chart performance [link]

The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 250.000 copies, during its first week.^[22] After spending 61 consecutive weeks in the top 20 of the Billboard 200, Breakaway descended to number 24. It remained in the top 30 for 74 consecutive weeks. It spent 103 weeks on the Billboard 200 (as of November 23, 2006), re-entering the chart (issue date: February 3, 2007) for its 104th week; this was its last eligible week on the chart. As of March 18, 2010 Breakaway reentered the Billboard 200 at position number 169, almost 6 years after its initial release. The album has moved 6.1 million only in the United States.^[22] The album also re-entered the Australian ARIA Charts in the week beginning April 19, 2010, at number 100, while in Australia with the All I Ever Wanted Tour.^[23]

With over six million copies sold in the US, Breakaway is the second most successful album by an Idol in the US, only behind Some Hearts by season four winner, Carrie Underwood, which sold over seven million copies. However, with worldwide sales of over 12 million copies, Breakaway is the most successful album by an Idol overall.

Track listing [link]

Credits and personnel [link]

Charts and certifications [link]

References [link]