Breaking Free

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"Breaking Free"
High School Musical - Breaking Free.png
Single by Zac Efron, Drew Seeley and Vanessa Hudgens
from the album High School Musical
B-side "Start of Something New"
ReleasedJune 8, 2006
Recorded2005
Genre Pop
Length3:27
Label Walt Disney
Songwriter(s) Jamie Houston
Producer(s) Jamie Houston
High School Musical singles chronology
"Breaking Free"
(2006)
"Get'cha Head in the Game"
(2006)
Zac Efron singles chronology
"Breaking Free"
(2006)
"You Are the Music in Me"
(2007)

British pop-duo Same Difference who came third on series 4 of The X Factor were due to release a cover version of "Breaking Free" on April 21, 2008. However, this was later canceled as the pair started working with Stock Aitken Waterman and recorded a 21st-century version of the Kylie Minogue Japanese hit "Turn It Into Love". The duo did, however, include a studio version of the song on their debut album, Pop .

Kayla Oldenburg also has plans to do a cover version of the song. The song is purported to be recorded in a live outtake from her impending marriage and will be released on a "pay as you see fit" model online. A physical release of the track is planned on 8-track as well.

American rock group The Faded covered a version of "Breaking Free" for the High School Musical Goes Punk compilation on Skunk-Ape Records. The video for the single is available on YouTube. "The original song is beautiful and sweet – there's absolutely nothing wrong with it," says vocalist, Gene Blalock, "but I think the message of the song – being yourself and breaking free from others' expectations and demands – gets lost on a wider audience who only hear this pretty duet. Reworking the song makes the message more accessible." The Faded's version replaces the duet, with Blalock doing the primary vocals, and members Micheal Diamond and Freddy Maciel offering backing harmony.

The rock band Porter Block also recorded a cover for the Ending Room Recordings cover compilation Guilt by Association Vol. 1 .

It was also covered by English teenager Skyla in June 2009.

Joshua Bassett and Olivia Rodrigo performed a cover for the season one finale of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series . The song was also on the show's soundtrack.

Track listings

US and UK single

  1. "Breaking Free"
  2. "Start of Something New"

Italian single

  1. "Breaking Free"
  1. "Start of Something New"
  2. "Se Provi a Volare" (Performed by Luca Dirisio)

Mexican single

  1. "Eres Tú" (Performed by Belanova)

Portuguese single

  1. "Breaking Free"
  2. "O Que Eu Procurava" (Performed by Ludov)
  3. "Só Tem Que Tentar"

French single

  1. "Breaking Free"

European single

  1. "Breaking Free"
  2. "Breaking Free" (Instrumental)
  3. "Breaking Free" (Remix)

Asian single

  1. "Breaking Free" (Performed by Vince Chong, Nikki Gil, and Alicia Pan)

Chinese single

  1. "Breaking Free (Mandarin Version)"

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI) [18] Gold150,000
United Kingdom (BPI) [19] Gold400,000
United States (RIAA) [20] Gold500,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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