Most Wanted (Hilary Duff Album) - Background and Development

Background and Development

On May 20, 2005, MTV News reported that Hilary Duff would be releasing a new album in August, comprising previously released tracks and four new recordings. It was also announced that preceding the album's release, Duff would begin a 32-date summer concert tour in support of the album. Four days later, on May 24, the album's title was revealed to be Most Wanted, and the album's release date was announced to be August 16, 2005. The following month, in an interview with MTV News, Duff said that she had been working with brothers Joel and Benji Madden, of the American rock band Good Charlotte, and Jason Epperson (together known under the production name the Dead Executives) to write and produce new songs for the compilation. She said that " ... they're three of my favorite songs I've ever done. ... It was really fun being in the studio with them." Described by Duff as the first time when "all the responsibility was on ", she went into the recording studio without the guidance of her record label or management. According to Duff, she did not tell anyone at her record label that she was working with the Dead Executives. Joel, whom Duff had been dating at the time, was aware that she needed new material for a compilation album, and knew that she wanted a "totally different sound". Together, the Dead Executives went into the recording studio and worked on new music for Duff, before bringing her into the studio to collectively work on them.

" ... The first one we're going to release is very dancy, kind of pop – not '80s, but kind of with that in it, so it's very fun. Another is more techno, like DJ Sammy almost, and the third one is a pop-punk song, more like music."

Duff described working with them as pleasant, and the music as a new milestone in her career, stating that working with "people you're close with makes a world of difference when you're recording and being creative." At the same time, Duff was also nervous about how her fans would react to the new music. Duff recorded four tracks for the album, three of which appear on the standard edition of the album—"Wake Up", "Beat of My Heart" and "Break My Heart"— while the fourth appears only on the deluxe edition: "Supergirl". The song was penned by Duff alongside Kara DioGuardi and Greg Wells. The track listing for Most Wanted was revealed on July 12, 2005, and the album was released on August 16, 2005 in the United States and Canada. The Japanese standard edition of the album features the same track listing as The Collector's Signature Edition, with additional remixes of "Wake Up" by DJ Kaya, and was released on August 10, 2005. Another version with a bonus DVD including music videos to selected songs and "making of" clips was also released in the same region. In the US, the iTunes digital version includes an interview with Duff. A deluxe edition of the album, subtitled The Collector's Signature Edition, was also released, containing an acoustic version of "Who's That Girl?", an alternate version of "Jericho" and a remix of "Party Up" along with "Supergirl". The pressing features a different album art and was packed with four autographed photo cards and a wristband. Most Wanted also contains 10 previously released tracks from Metamorphosis (2003) and Hilary Duff (2004), as well as songs from soundtracks of Duff's films: The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003) and A Cinderella Story (2004), three of which—"Come Clean", "Rock This World" and "Why Not"—are in a remixed form.