Jessica Simpson - The life of a superstar!
By now everyone knows who Jessica Simpson is. I wasn’t familiar with her or her music until the hit show Newlyweds began airing on MTV.
Jessica Simpson was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. She began singing in her church choir. While attending a church camp at age thirteen, she was discovered by the head of a small label. She spent three years recording her debut album. Unfortunately, the record label folded before the record could be released. She became pretty famous on the Christian Youth Conference circuit, often singing with Kirk Franklin and Ce Ce Winans. Jessica Simpson wanted to expand into the secular market, so she signed with Sony. She began touring with the boy-band 98 degrees. This is where she met Nick Lachey, her future husband, who was a member of the popular group. She released her first album with Sony, Sweet Kisses, in 1999, which contained the hit single “I Wanna Love You Forever.” In 2001, Jessica Simpson released her second album “Irresistible”, which, unfortunately, did not do as well as her debut effort.
In 2002, she and Nick Lachey married in a lavish ceremony. Around this time she appeared in several episodes of That 70’s Show with Ashton Kutcher. In the summer of 2003, Newlyweds made its debut on MTV, and Jessica Simpson became a household name. Newlyweds chronicled the everyday life of the couple’s first year of marriage, and was very entertaining, due mostly to the fact that she is very ditzy and so innocently stupid. Jessica Simpson continued to record music, releasing her third album, In This Skin, in July 2003. Two singles were released, “Sweetest Sin” and “With You” which were moderate hits, especially with the MTV crowd. In spring 2004, In This Skin was re-released, with reworked versions of Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” and Robbie Williams’ “Angels” as well as additional footage from the first season of Newlyweds.
Newlyweds lasted another two years; further propelling Jessica Simpson into superstardom. In 2005, she starred in the marginally successful Dukes of Hazzard movie, playing Daisy Duke. I think she was noticed more for what she was wearing (or not wearing) in the movie than for her acting. She released the remake of the song “These Boots Are Made for Walkin” which was a big hit. In November 2005, came the sad news that she and Nick Lachey were separating. Did anyone really thing that his marriage would last. Jessica Simpson reportedly filed divorce papers on December 16, 2005. Many hold out hopes that the once happy couple will reconnect. Time will tell, but I wouldn’t bet on it.