After the success of his first album, 1996's Inarticulate Nature Boy, Clayton-Felt prepared to release a new batch of songs under the titleCenter of Six. However, A&M Records suspended all contracts and placed a freeze on recordings during their buyout by Universal Records, preventing the release of Center of Six. While lobbying Universal Records to release its claim on the songs from the Center of Sixsessions, Clayton-Felt continued to write and record a new batch of songs that were ultimately self-released under the title Beautiful Nowhere.