Ashlee Simpson

From LoveToKnow Music
Ashlee Simpson
Genre Pop Music
Origin Dallas, TX, USA
Active 2001-present
Albums Autobiography (2004)
I Am Me (2005)
Songs Pieces Of Me
Boyfriend
Website Ashlee Simpson

Ashlee Simpson is an actress/singer from Texas who has found rapid fame in the ‘tween and teen scene. The younger sister of singer Jessica Simpson, Ashlee has been the star of her own television reality show and has sold more records than her famous sibling. Still, she is often referred to as “Jessica’s little sister”. There have been several controversial appearances by Ashlee that have helped to keep her in the spotlight.

Ashlee Simpson's Early Life/Career

Ashlee Simpson hails from Texas and was born on October 3, 1984. Ashlee began dancing at a young age and by eleven years old, she became the youngest student to ever be accepted into the School of American Ballet. This was a prestigious honor and the beginning of a fast road to fame. At fourteen she was hired as a background dancer in her sister Jessica’s live, touring show. Ashlee is managed by the same man as her sister- their father, Joe. Ashlee was initially an actress and after her family moved to Los Angeles to further Jessica’s career, Ashlee began to quickly land minor roles in commercials.

Young Success

Ashlee Simpson has accomplished a lot for someone so young. She hardly struggled in the show business world, although she has had to deal with the shadow of a successful, older sister. As an actress, she appeared in an episode of “Malcolm In The Middle” (2001) and the film The Hot Chick (2002). However, it was her regular role as Cecilia on “7th Heaven” that boosted her name in the public eye.

Ashlee’s aspirations as a singer were soon rewarded with a deal from Geffen Records. Her first album, Autobiography, was released in 2004 and debuted at number one on the charts- beating her sister Jessica right out of the gates. Her sophomore album, I Am Me, surprised cynics by becoming a number one hit as well. Her rock-influenced look and sound contrasts with Jessica’s pop diva persona. However, it is widely assumed that both careers are closely manufactured.

Ashlee has also starred on her own television reality show, “The Ashlee Simpson Show”. Similar to her sister’s successful show (which she also made appearances on), it was aired on MTV and focused on her professional and private life. The success of that show has helped audiences differentiate from the sisters and an unkind media has often pointed out that Ashlee is everything Jessica isn’t: intelligent and a bit homely.

The Ashlee Simpson Controversy

Ashlee Simpson became a household name after her infamous “Saturday Night Live” performance on October 23, 2004. The live performance culminated in “outing” her as a lip sycher after an equipment malfunction. With nowhere to go on a live stage in front of cameras, Simpson proceeded to improvise a bizarre “hoe-down” dance and the show quickly cut to commercial. Simpson maintains that the incident was isolated and that she only lip sanc that evening due to acid reflux issues.

Following her “Saturday Night Live” performance, Simpson appeared at the Orange Bowl for its halftime show. While singing her third single from Autobiography, “La La”, the entire stadium rose up in boos. A visibly upset Simpson has been shown on news networks, quickly trying to finish the song so she can get off stage. This has generally been regarded as backlash from the “Saturday Night Live” performance, but some maintain that it was just a reaction of her poor singing.

The controversy surrounding Ashlee’s manufactured persona and performances hasn’t hurt her career. If anything, she has taken the negative press and turned it to her favor. Many credit this to her manager/father Joe Simpson. He is often referred to as the male version of the dreaded “stage mom”, carefully micromanaging every detail. Although Ashlee may not be a natural talent who paid her debt in Hollywood before becoming famous, she is no different in her methods than her contemporaries, Hillary Duff and Lindsay Lohan.


 


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