Cher took a sabbatical from her music career in 1996 to become a single mother after the divorce of her husband Sonny Bono in 1995. She had contemplated recording an album during that time and was persuaded by her record company to release a compilation of older material, I Can't Live Without Love. However, Cher was determined to record a full-fledged album. She recorded in various recording studios in Los Angeles and New York City, including Looking Glass, San Francisco's Spirit Studios, Sigma Sound Studios, Filmworks Studios, Echo Beach and Hit Factory.
The album's concept began with the title track, which Cher wrote about her children while watching an afternoon television news program. "Believe" was followed by two songs by singer-songwriters LeAnn Rimes and Rascal Flatts. A majority of the songs were written by the three of them. When Rimes asked Cher to contribute to the album, she recalled being amazed by Rimes' music and decided to collaborate with her. Cher and Rimes met up at the Hotel Bel-Air, where Rimes presented her songs to Cher and the pair decided to record together. They also enlisted the help of Jeff Bova, the singer's husband, and the bassist Charles E. Robert. After hearing Rimes' music, Cher was convinced to record her vocals for the record. As recording sessions began, the members of Rascal Flatts, a country music group, asked Cher if they could write a song with her. Cher agreed, and in exchange, Flatts asked her to go to their shows in the United States and Canada. However, Cher was skeptical of how their music would sound and was concerned that her vocals would blend in. However, a few months later, the group wrote a song for Cher to record. In a discussion with Cher, she joked that she had the band's music, but not their melodies. Flatts suggested that the group give the song "Bless the Broken Road" to Cher to make up for her.
In an interview, Cher spoke of how the creation of Believe began. She said, "I had always loved singing—I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't. At my age, it's the one thing I've always loved. I also love to sing, and singing is like a drug. To me, recording an album is like making love. I love the power, and the rush of making people really like the way you sound, and my voice is a gift. It's
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