In the following years, Rimes released several pop singles for soundtrack albums, which include "I Need You" and "Can't Fight the Moonlight", the latter of which became a major hit worldwide.

Breaking away from her father's management in the 2000s, Rimes released the Gold-certified pop album Twisted Angel (2002) and the Christmas record What a Wonderful World (2004).

After appearing in the television film Northern Lights (2009), Rimes began an affair with co-star Eddie Cibrian which received notable media attention.

After appearing on the network television competition show Star Search, where she clearly charmed host Ed McMahon in addition to being a one-week champion, Rimes decided to go into country music.

Rimes appeared a number of times on Johnnie High's Country Music Revue in Arlington, Texas, which gained the attention of local talent scouts.

She toured nationally with her father and also regularly performed a cappella renditions of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the opening of the Dallas Cowboys football games.

[7] Due to the independent album's success throughout the Dallas music community, Rimes was discovered by local disc jockey and record promoter Bill Mack.

In July 1994, Rimes included her first version of "Blue" on her second and final Nor Va Jak release, All That; she also co-wrote "Share My Love" for this album.

The song had previously been recorded by multiple artists over the years, nonetheless, the media attention to "Blue" further added to the belief that Rimes was the successor to Cline's legacy.

[25] It was named after Rimes's cover of Alex North and Hy Zaret's 1955 standard "Unchained Melody", which was a number 3 Billboard country hit that March.

[33][34] The title track from You Light Up My Life was released as the album's second single; the song peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold.

[41] James Hunter of Rolling Stone stated that Rimes "holds her own in the more popular style of Mariah Carey and Celine Dion, wherein a spectacular voice upstages a song, grins and goes on about her business.

[45] Beth Johnson of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a positive review and said that Rimes's voice "dares listeners to take note of what is missing in her interpretations–the gutsiness and gut-wrenching urgency of performers who felt what they sang.

[48] In November 2000, Rimes sued Curb to nullify her recording contract with the label; it had originally been signed on her behalf by her parents five years earlier.

However, he also noted that "most of the songs have only a tenuous connection to country" and said "how you feel about I Need You will largely depend on whether you see LeAnn’s shift toward pop as a positive development.

[1][65] The album was preceded by the single "Life Goes On", which experienced success internationally but failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.

[73] The album spawned the singles "Nothin' 'Bout Love Makes Sense", "Probably Wouldn't Be This Way", and "Something's Gotta Give", all of which reached the top five of the Billboard country songs chart.

Media publicity of their real-life affair helped make Northern Lights the network's most-watched television movie, with four and a half million viewers in March 2009.

[1] Entertainment Weekly's Mikael Wood concluded that "The result is predictably solid, though it rarely sheds new light on the top-shelf material.

[105][104] In 2016, Rimes signed with RCA UK, an imprint of Sony Music Entertainment, and released a cover of Brandi Carlile's "The Story".

[121] Rimes celebrated her 25th year in the music industry with a special CMT Crossroads episode featuring Carly Pearce, Brandy Clark, Ashley McBryde and Mickey Guyton airing on April 14, 2022.

Entertainment Weekly's Don McLeese commented, "Though 'Young Country' doesn't get much younger than Rimes, she already shows more poise and maturity than many artists twice her age.

"[14] Other material such as Diane Warren's "How Do I Live" had also been considered too mature for Rimes's age and was the main reason why her version of the song was not chosen to be used in the soundtrack for the film Con Air.

"[132] In reviewing her 2011 album Lady & Gentlemen Stephen Thomas Erlewine stated, "Throughout it all, Rimes hits her marks with ease...she's become a stronger, more nuanced singer over the years.

"[133] Jessica Goodman of Glamour found that her 2016 song "Remnants" "showcases the powerhouse vocals that made Rimes famous all those years ago.

"[128] Rimes has credited performers of different musical styles as career influences, including Alanis Morissette,[134] Reba McEntire, Wynonna Judd,[135] Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand and Whitney Houston.

[143] Shortly after the couple parted ways, Rimes met dancer Dean Sheremet at the 36th Academy of Country Music Awards in 2001.

According to People, the couple spent more time apart in later years of their marriage as Rimes devoted energy towards an acting career in Los Angeles while Sheremet remained in Nashville.

[149][150][151] Rimes began an extramarital affair with actor Eddie Cibrian, whom she worked with on the TV film Northern Lights[152][153] Reports surfaced in March 2009 of the couple embracing while eating at a restaurant.

[154] Television personality Brandi Glanville, Cibrian's then-wife and mother of his two sons, filed for divorce as a result of the affair in August 2009, ending eight years of marriage.