Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson

Breakaway, Kelly Clarkson's second album on RCA, is the record where the American Idol winner shook off the talent-show tag and became a pop-rock star in her own right. She ditched the R&B leanings of Thankful, swapped managers, and called in a new crew of writers and producers: Max Martin and Dr. Luke, John Shanks, Kara DioGuardi, and former Evanescence men Ben Moody and David Hodges.

The songs are about heartbreak, love and getting away, and Clarkson belts them with enormous power. "Since U Been Gone" is the killer, a crunchy guitar-pop rush with a chorus that detonates, and "Behind These Hazel Eyes", "Because of You", "Walk Away" and the title track kept the hits rolling. It won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album, went 6× platinum in the US, and sold an estimated 12 million copies worldwide.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.