When the Wreckers first released a single in the country music scene and the group started getting famous, everyone who knew pop music was asking themselves the same question, "Isn't that Michelle Branch?" Branch didn't start playing the guitar until she was 14, but it didn't take her long after that to climb her way to stardom. She grew up listening to bands from the Beatles to Led Zeppelin, but somehow she added in a soft, female touch to her unique sound. Branch was on a mission to make herself a star, and she released an album herself in 2000 called Broken Bracelet.

She was still in her teens when she was heard by Maverick Records, who instantly recognized the young musician's potential. She worked with Melissa Etheridge producer John Shanks for her label debut, The Spirit Room, which hit stores in 2001. That album almost instantly turned Branch into a star, which was further helped by the release of her sophomore album, Hotel Paper, in 2003. From 2001-2004, she had five charting pop singles consisting of "Everywhere," "Goodbye to You," "All You Wanted," "Breathe" and "Are You Happy Now?" While she was enjoying incredible pop success, Branch decided to go in a different direction.

She chose to team up with longtime friend Jessica Harp, who had also been her backup singer, to create the Wreckers. Harp had her roots mostly in country music, leading to the duo looking at that genre for their sound. The combination was magic and they soon started gaining attention. Their song "Good Kind" was featured on the television show One Tree Hill in 2004. They released their debut album, Stand Still, Look Pretty, the next year along with the single "Leave the Pieces." The single made number one on the country charts and the album made it into the top five with two other charting singles. The Wreckers released a live album in 2007.