[1] It was part of the teen-pop revival which saw other teen artists such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson release their debut albums that same year to commercial and critical success.

Conceptually, the album addresses themes such as teenage love, romance and heartbreak, all of which were common subjects in teen pop music at the time.

So Real became a moderate hit in the United States, reaching a peak of 31 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, as well as being certified Platinum by the RIAA, for shipments of over 1 million.

[2] Five months following the release of So Real, it was reissued as I Wanna Be with You, which also served as Moore's debut album internationally.

compared the album to the work of Spears and Jessica Simpson; she also labeled the material as "a mediocre collection that could fade quickly unless "Candy" continues to catch on with young pop fanatics".