Headstrong is the debut
studio album by American recording artist
Ashley Tisdale. The album was first released on February 6, 2007 via
Warner Bros. Records. Tisdale began working on the project after the first installment of
High School Musical (2006), and after she had achieved the feat of being the first female artist to debut with two songs on the
Billboard Hot 100. The singer worked with a variety of established writers and producers on the album, including
Diane Warren,
J.R. Rotem,
Ryan Tedder,
Evan "Kidd" Bogart, and
Kara DioGuardi, among others. Commenting that the album garnered its title from her personality, Tisdale said she wanted to use her first album to formally introduce herself personally, and as not one of the characters she portrays.
Headstrongs music derives mainly from the genres of
dance-pop and
R&B, provided by
electronica. Meanwhile, it incorporates
hip hop beats and some tracks infuse
dancehall and other
world music. The album also lyrically explores themes in
teen pop. Many critics compared her first effort to the first works of fellow
Disney-alums
Britney Spears and
Christina Aguilera. Carrying primarily an
urban tone, the "
hip pop" of
Gwen Stefani is also said to be an influence on the album.
Headstrong itself was given mixed reviews by critics, who while complimenting it overall, called it ordinary and panned the ballads. Whereas the album debuted at number five on the
Billboard 200, selling over 64,000 copies in its...
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