The Best Mandy Moore Songs to Add to Your Playlist

This is not a drill. Mandy Moore has finally released an original song! After. Ten. Long. Years. The general public (read: Gen Z) probably know her more as an actress than as a singer with her roles on both big and small screens such as A Walk to Remember and This Is Us. But before she accepted acting roles, Mandy Moore has always been primarily a singer. And one of the most amazing at that.

While we absolutely loved hearing her sing about seeing the light in Tangled and doing some covers, we missed listening to her original works, especially since she’s been teasing us for so long. And after a looooong decade (and two since she debuted!), Miss Amanda Leigh has decided to grace us with her newest musical masterpiece “When I Wasn’t Watching.”

Her latest single is a “purposeful departure” from her past pop tracks, she says in a statement, because “it’s all happening live on the floor . . . we’re recording to tape, so there’s no reworking or editing: a take is a take.” And yes, with the singer performing live in the studio, “When I Wasn’t Watching” is truly showing us Mandy’s vocals stripped bare of all the bubblegum pop of her past. And those lyrics? We’re really getting a glimpse of what she went through this decade (and it was a lot). We want to hear the rest of the album. ASAP. Please.

Well, according to the statement, another new single will be released before the year ends, but while we’re waiting, add these bops and “When I Wasn’t Watching” to your playlist to prepare yourself for Miss Amanda Leigh’s long-awaited comeback.

Candy

This bop that shot Mandy to stardom is something the singer would probably want the world to unhear, but we’re using this to cope with your hiatus, Mandy, because we missed you like candy.

Memorable lines: I’m craving (I’m cravin) for you / I’m missing you like candy (missin you like candy)

So Real

The turn of the millennium saw a lot of catchy teen pop bops, and “So Real” is one of the best we got. Even the music video was peak teen pop with fantasy elements and dance numbers. (Did you spot Jenna Dewan?)

Memorable lines: Ain’t no mountain that we can’t climb / All you gotta do is take your time

I Wanna Be With You

While “I Wanna Be With You” is still mainly pop, Mandy started showing the more mature side of her vocals in this song, even if she was only 16 at the time.

Memorable lines: So I’ll hold you tonight like I would if you were mine / To hold forevermore

In My Pocket

And here Mandy finally departs from the bubblegum pop sound of her youth, being a mix of R&B, techno, and Middle Eastern influences.

Memorable lines: Nothing but faith to keep me warm / But, baby, then I’d be broke without it

Crush

You probably wanted to serenade your crush with this song . . . admit it . . . But you were probably too torpe.

Memorable lines: Ooh, I wish I could tell somebody / But there’s no one to talk to, nobody knows

Cry

If you don’t know any of Mandy Moore songs, “Cry” is the best place to start, with the singer proving her vocal capabilities in this one song. Or you probably already know this song, even if you aren’t a fan, because this was played almost everywhere at the time of its release. And it was part of the OST of A Walk to Remember, which, you know, made us cry so much.

Memorable lines: It was there that I realized / That forever was in your eyes / The moment I saw you cry (or honestly, the whole song)

Extraordinary

Mandy was already telling us about self-love even way back in 2007. So go and be free and extraordinary. Just like the many Mandy Moores in the music video.

Memorable lines: I know I am another sparkle in the sky / I shine uncovered / Still undiscovered / But you must see me / In the corner of your eye