Jessica Ann Simpson
Biography and Picture Gallery At 5' 3½" in height her measurements
are 36DD - 26 - 38
It's in Dallas, Texas, that Jessica Ann
Simpson was born on July 10, 1980. Growing up in the small town of Richardson,
her life was textbook happy. Her father Joe was a psychologist who also
served as youth minister in the local Baptist church. With this background,
it was only normal for young Jessica to participate in church activities
and so she sang in the choir. Such was her gift that at the age of 12,
she auditioned for The Mickey Mouse Club. When she reached the finals,
she froze, choking completely. Unfortunately, she didn't get the job; Britney
Spears and Christina Aguilera were luckier. Nevertheless, this experience
served as an important life lesson for Jessica. She returned to Richardson
and bit into the Christian music she had been brought up with. Before long,
small label Proclaim Records noticed her voice and offered to record an
album. She recorded a number of gospel songs but just as they were angling
for a release date, the label went bankrupt. Not about to give up in the
face of adversity, Joe (now her manager) took his daughter on the road,
where they worked the Christian Youth Concert circuit. Jessica sang and
then sold her home-recorded album after performances. This was a winning
formula and while she was still in junior high, Jessica was performing
with famous gospel acts like Kirk Franklin and Ce Ce Winans. Word spread
about Simpson and her record sold like hotcakes. More importantly, it wasn't
only Christian music fans who got into her music; pop lovers everywhere
were being charmed by her voice. This was just the encouragement Jessica
needed to pursue a middle-of-the-road pop music career. Sure enough, news
of Jessica's success reached important people in the industry. Tommy Mottola
of Columbia Records/Sony Music was one of them and he was stunned by Simpson's
voice and skills. Although she doesn't always say the brightest things,
she still allowed MTV cameras to follow her around and record her daily
life. She even renewed public interest in tuna. She used to be famous for
being the believable virgin of the turn-of-the-millennium teenage pop sensations.
Then, after having accumulated a number of hits such as "I Think I'm In
Love With You" and "Irresistible," she married 98 Degrees singer, Nick
Lachey. Their marriage became fodder for a reality TV show thanks to the
success of Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica and Jessica proved she could look
great in "Daisy Dukes" in the 2005 film version of The Dukes of Hazzard.
In the late '90s, the music industry was keen on fabricating bubblegum
pop stars to appeal to a teen audience. There was Britney, Christina, and
the Spice Girls, which were a trend all their own. Coming from the Christian
music scene, Jessica Simpson was catapulted into the midst of this battle.
She was marketed as a similar manufactured performer, but the fans who
had been following her since she was 12 years old knew that she was unfairly
represented. Simpson's music is an infusion of pop, R&B and soul, and
it's far from being generic. |
