Work on
Starting Over began in 2001 when Jackson was moved to write "
Free the World" in the wake of the
September 11 attacks. The song's positive reception from friends spurred on Jackson to write more songs. In February 2005, it was announced that Ja-Tail Records had secured a distribution deal with
Bungalo Records, but the project's official release was beset with delays for years. In 2004, Jackson released "
Just Wanna Dance", which peaked at number 13 on the U.S.
Billboard Dance Club chart. In January 2005, she released "
Free the World". The title track, "Starting Over", was recorded in 2006; the song was used as a jingle for Australian beverage maker Star Ice.
Starting Over includes autobiographical tracks about Jackson's relationship with Gordon. Several of them hint towards brutal beatings and plans to have her family killed. The opening track, "Mafia Style" is a reference to Gordon's meetings with mobsters on New York's
Mulberry Street. According to Jackson, "I was hearing a whole lot that I probably shouldn't have been hearing. I was the only girl, and they called me 'the kid', because these were older men and they would say, 'Is the kid going to talk?' and [Gordon] would always say, 'No, the kid doesn't talk,' because I would always say, 'I know nothing about nothing.'" ==Release and promotion==