Epic/550 Revises Mandy Moore's Debut To Showcase Teen Artists

Billboard June 10, 2000

THE BEST-LAID PLANS: Epic/550 Music will be the first to admit that there's more to Mandy Moore than meets the ear.

With her marketing plan well in place and her first single "Candy" and debut album "So Real" already on the streets, the 16-year-old Orlando, Fla., native was securely setup at the end of 1999 to become the latest in the teen-queen scene to break out with a musical palette of lightweight, bubble gum-flavored fare.

But then the unexpected happened. Moore returned to the studio and popped out a handful of new songs that were so much more Jewel than Britney Spears that the label realized there was no way it could wait for her sophomore project--perhaps far into the future--to introduce them.

In a completely unorthodox turn of events, the record company whipped out a "special edition" of Moore's debut album, retitled "I Wanna Be With You," complete with five new songs, dance remixes of "Candy," "I Wanna Be With You," and "So Real," music videos, and cover art that projects more of a young woman than the girl seen on "So Real."

The original version of the album was certified platinum in just three months, while the revised set entered the Billboard 200 at No. 21 at the end of May. The single "I Wanna Be With You" debuted on Top 40 Tracks in the last issue at No. 39. This issue, it moves up to No. 36.

"There's a big difference between a couple of years when you're a teen-ager," explains Hilary Shaev, VP of promotion for Epic/550/Work. "Everything Mandy had recorded for 'So Real' was at least a couple of years old when we were making the decision about which track to release for the second single. 'I Wanna Be With You' was a song and a performance that couldn't be denied. It's more mature, it's fuller, the production is better, and we all thought it had lasting potential. We wanted to get it out right away."

Says Moore, "We had recorded a couple of these new tracks, thinking they would be for the next album, without even telling the label. My manager went in and played them for the record company. They were like, Who is this? You can see there's a far cry between 'Candy' and 'I Wanna Be With You,' and there's more where that came from. I think it's a great transition."

It also builds upon what was already a textbook example of how an effective marketing campaign can fuel an album's sales. Thanks to massive airplay by Radio Disney, "Candy" launched Moore out of the gate like a thoroughbred.

The single quickly sold gold and propelled her to a nearly ubiquitous presence on MTV, guest-hosting "Total Request Live," co-hosting the network's highly rated "Snowed In" and "Spring Break" weekends, and starring in "Mandy's Mountain Makeover" and "Mandy's Spring Makeover."

As a result, she's been hired to host her own daily dedications show, "Mandy," on MTV, beginning this summer, in addition to further co-hosting duties throughout the season on MTV's "Beachhouse."

Behind that is a barrage of publicity unheard-of for most newcomers, including warm-up tour spots for both 'N Sync and Backstreet Boys, stops at all of the talk shows, coverage in publications ranging from Rolling Stone and USA Today to People and Seventeen, and high-profile spokeswoman contracts with Neutrogena, the Wet Seal/Contempo retail chain, and Blue Asphalt Clothing Line.

Moore was also chosen as one of "The Hottest Stars Under 25" by Teen People for a recent ABC special, and her requisite Web site, mandymoore.com, receives up to 100,000 hits a day. "I Wanna Be With You" also appears on the Sony Pictures soundtrack to the movie "Center Stage"--certainly an applicable description for where the young singer now resides.

"She really took us by surprise, and I think she's already bigger than most of us realize," says Dave McKay, PD of WPST Trenton, N.J. "We played 'Candy,' and it constantly got feedback from the kids, but this new song is so right on.

"She sounds very mature, and it appeals to the younger and older ends," he says. "We see her on the Neutrogena ads, on MTV, in magazines, and she comes across really well, perhaps more wholesome than Britney. And she's gone out of her way to make friends at radio. I see a bright future for this girl."

"I think the record's incredible," adds Chase Murphy, PD of WSSX Charleston, S.C. "I remember playing it in my music meeting, and I didn't tell anybody who it was, because we were right on the heels of 'Candy,' which was this poppy, girly, bubble gum song. This whole room of chicks who like rock music were all digging it, and then they felt ashamed that they liked a song by Mandy Moore. What more can you add to that?"

Moore sees her second hit as a universal anthem of affection: "The theme is just really relatable in a lot of situations, whether you're talking about a boyfriend, your mother, or your dog. It's simple, but it has a lot of connotations," she says. "And I like that I'm singing about something that I can identify with, which gives people a better chance to see my personality."

And differentiating herself from the other teen acts out there is Moore's firmly held first priority. "I love talking with people and showing them that no one is out there inventing some type of personality for me," she says. "Sometimes I feel like I have to prove that I'm different, because I get compared to a lot of other singers.

"But there are also things I have to be conscious of now that I never would have imagined, like if I want to cut my hair, I can't wear it a certain length because people might think I'm trying to look like someone else. It annoys me when people judge me before they meet me and get a feel for what I'm like."

So far, so good, according to radio. "With MTV helping her out, Mandy really has had the chance to let her personality shine through," says Hitman Haze, music director for KHTS San Diego. "Because she's an MTV baby, it's allowed us to play the record knowing that there's an artist there that's developing."

Adds Karen Rite, assistant PD/music director of KZZP Phoenix, "Even with the new record, I think there's a tendency to categorize Mandy Moore with Britney, Christina [Aguilera], and Jessica [Simpson]. You can't block that out. But I don't think that's a bad thing; they're all selling records. Still, this new record could help her re-image as more of an adult artist, if that's the direction they want to take her in."

With the number of potential hits on "I Wanna Be With You," she may just have the time to become an adult artist by the time radio is done with this first project--which would suit Moore just fine.

"There are long days and hard work, but it's been quite a journey for me. I'm just trying to cope with it all as the days go by," she says. "It's so weird, though. It hasn't all registered, and at times it just feels surreal. I almost don't want it to sink in, because I don't ever want to take it for granted."

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