Maps of Music

So Real (1999)

Where the lyrics of So Real take you, and where it was really made.

Moore's debut album came out when she was 15, and five months later it was reissued under a new title as her international debut.

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So Real: debut studio album by American singer Mandy Moore
Released December 7, 1999 in the United States by Epic Records
Moore was 15 at the time of release
Part of the late-1990s teen-pop revival
Addresses teenage love, romance and heartbreak, common teen-pop subjects of the period
Reissued five months later as I Wanna Be with You, which also served as Moore's debut album internationally

In the same year, debut albums by Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson were also released
Those debuts also achieved commercial and critical success
The album arrived during a wave of teen pop that dominated 1999
The reissue carried the album to markets outside the United States under the new title

1	So Real	3:51
2	Candy	3:56
3	What You Want	3:43
4	Walk Me Home	4:24
5	Lock Me in Your Heart	3:32
6	Telephone (interlude)	0:16
7	Quit Breaking My Heart	3:54
8	Let Me Be the One	3:50
9	Not Too Young	3:53
10	Love Shot	4:24
11	I Like It	4:26
12	Love You for Always	3:23
13	Quit Breaking My Heart (reprise)	1:02

Amanda Leigh Moore (born April 10, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress.
She rose to fame with her 1999 debut single "Candy", which peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Her debut album So Real (1999) received Platinum certification from the RIAA.
Her first Top 40 single was "I Wanna Be with You" from the 2000 reissue I Wanna Be With You, peaking at 24.
Her studio albums include Mandy Moore (2001), Coverage (2003), Wild Hope (2007), Amanda Leigh (2009), Silver Landings (2020), and In Real Life (2022).
She starred in A Walk to Remember (2002) and voiced Rapunzel in Disney's Tangled (2010).
From 2016 to 2022 she starred as Rebecca Pearson in the NBC drama This Is Us, earning Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy nominations.
She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2019.

Reviews from music critics were generally mixed
William Ruhlmann of AllMusic said the album sounded as if it was inspired almost entirely by recent hit albums from 'N Sync, the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears
Ruhlmann noted stylistic similarities between album tracks and Backstreet Boys material
Ruhlmann said Moore could carry a tune but with no particular distinction, and that the music apart from her singing was mediocre
Stephanie Mcgrath of the Canadian publication Jam! compared the album to the work of Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson
Mcgrath called the material a mediocre collection that could fade quickly unless 'Candy' kept catching on with young pop fans
Mcgrath advised readers who craved female pop to choose Jessica Simpson or Britney Spears

Debuted at number 71 on the US Billboard 200
Later peaked at number 31 on the US Billboard 200
Spent a total of 23 weeks on the US Billboard 200
Ranked 116 on the 1999 Billboard 200 year-end chart
Certified RIAA Platinum after four months with 1 million copies sold in the US
The first single 'Candy' spawned a top 50 hit and went gold within three months in the RIAA

The music video for the single 'Candy' was directed by Chris Robinson and had a cameo by the girl group PYT.
The single 'Candy' peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 and did better abroad, reaching number 6 in the UK and number 2 in Australia.
The second single 'Walk Me Home' failed to chart when first released, then was re-released on October 14, 2000 to promote I Wanna Be with You and peaked at number 38 on the Billboard Pop 100.
The album's writing credits include Tony Battaglia, Shaun Fisher, T. Moran, David Rice and Mark Stevens as composers, with Dakari, Jive and Billy Lawrence as guest artists.