21st Century Breakdown is the eighth studio album by the punk rock band Green Day. It is the band's second rock opera, following "American Idiot", and its first record to be produced by Butch Vig. The band started work on the record in January 2006. 45 songs were written by vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong by October 2007, but the band members did not start studio work with the producer, Butch Vig until January 2008. The writing and recording process was three years long. The band used four recording studios and was finished in April 2009.