Awake and Breathe was the second and final album to be released by Irish girl group B*Witched, released on October 18, 1999. The album was recorded on the back of the success of their self-titled debut album, and marked a slight change in sound for the band, containing more dance-oritentated and upbeat pop, rather than the teen pop direction of their first album. The single "Jesse Hold On" and "If It Don't Fit" also mark a change into the country side of pop, described by the band during ITV2's The Big Reunion as "sweet and shiny". Three singles were released from the album: "Jesse Hold On", "I Shall Be There" and "Jump Down". However, poorer sales of the album and the third single, "Jump Down", resulted in the band being dropped by their record label, and "Awake and Breathe" becoming their final album.
Chart performance
Awake and Breathe peaked at #5 on the UK Albums Chart on the week of release, and was certified Platinum the same year. In other territories, the album was significantly less successful than B*Witched. In Australia, the album reached a lowly #70, and reached #27 in New Zealand, while B*Witched peaked within the top 10 in both of these countries. The album peaked at just #91 on the American Billboard 200 Album Chart, but, surprisingly, sold enough to be certified Gold in January 2000. The three singles performed reasonably, with the lead single, Jesse Hold On, peaking at #4 and being certified Silver, and the second single, "I Shall Be There", and the third single, "Jump Down", both peaking within the Top 20. However, these performances was a far cry from B*Witched's singles, all of which topped the UK Singles Chart.
