Writing this record let me recapture who I am. It is summed up in the title Be Not Nobody. You need to feel comfortable in your skin and do whatever you need to do for yourself, to heal or to grow.

MTV censored and later banned the single's music video because of a controversial lyric in the song that refers to sexual intercourse. It became a hit peaking inside the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 and went on to become the sixth-most-played song of the year as well as garnering Grammy Award nominations for "Record of the Year" "Song of the Year" and "Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)". She later toured Europe in 2003.

Her debut album Be Not Nobody followed and received platinum certification in the United States. Three months after recording a demo with producer Peter Zizzo Vanessa Carlton signed with A&M Records.