Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Simpson | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Ashlee Nicole Simpson |
Also known as | Ashlee Simpson-Wentz |
Origin | Richardson, Texas, United States |
Genres | Pop, pop rock |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, actress |
Years active | 2001–present |
Labels | Geffen |
Website | www.ashleesimpsonmusic.com |
Ashlee Nicole Simpson (born October 3, 1984[1]) is an American singer and actress. In 2004, she rose to prominence for the success of her number-one debut album Autobiography and the reality series, The Ashlee Simpson Show. In October 2005, following a North American concert tour and a film appearance, Simpson released her second number-one album, I Am Me. Simpson's third album, Bittersweet World, was released in April 2008.
Life and career
1984–2002: Early life and career beginnings
Simpson was born in Waco, Texas[2] and raised in Richardson, Texas. She is the daughter of Tina Ann (née Drew), a homemaker, and Joe Truett Simpson, a former Baptist youth minister who works as her manager. She attended Prairie Creek Elementary. She has an older sister, Jessica, who is also a singer. Simpson began studying classical ballet when she was three years old, eventually becoming an accomplished dancer. She was admitted to the School of American Ballet in New York City at the age of 11, a year in advance.[3] During that time, Simpson suffered from an eating disorder; the condition lasted for about six months before her parents stepped in and got her the help she needed to overcome the issue.[4] When Jessica landed a record deal, Tina and Joe Simpson made the decision to relocate to Los Angeles, California, where Ashlee began appearing in television commercials.[5]
Following the success of Jessica's first album, Ashlee became one of her backup dancers. She later began appearing in films and television series, including a 2001 episode of the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle, a minor role in the 2002 film The Hot Chick, and a recurring role on the family drama series 7th Heaven.[6] Simpson recorded a song entitled "Christmas Past, Present and Future" in 2002 for the holiday album School's Out! Christmas, which was later re-released on Radio Disney Jingle Jams in 2004 and 2005. In the summer of 2003, she began a short stint as a VJ for MTV and also released a song called "Just Let Me Cry" for the soundtrack to the film Freaky Friday. She occasionally appeared on Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, a reality show documenting the married life of her sister, Jessica, and her then-husband, Nick Lachey.
2003–04: Autobiography and Saturday Night Live incident
After her appearances on the School's Out! Christmas and Freaky Friday albums, Simpson signed a record deal with Geffen Records. As an accompaniment to her debut album and in order to create interest in the beginning of her own music career, she filmed and appeared on her own reality television series, The Ashlee Simpson Show, which aired in the time slot following Newlyweds. It ran in the United States for eight weekly episodes over the summer of 2004 (a second season of 10 episodes aired from January to March 2005). The show dealt with the processes of writing, recording and performing Simpson's music, as well as aspects of her personal life.
Her first album, Autobiography, debuted at number one in the United States in July 2004, with first-week sales of around 398,000 copies. The album was certified triple-platinum by the RIAA in September 2004. Simpson co-wrote all of the album's tracks, describing it as "very true to my emotions",[7] however, critical reviews were mixed.[8] Rolling Stone magazine's Peter Relic characterised the album as a "mundane melange of Avril-ish brat pop and Sheryl Crow cod rock."[9] The single which preceded the album, "Pieces of Me", was one of the biggest hits of the summer in the United States and was certified gold by the RIAA. The follow-up singles, "Shadow" and "La La", were less successful, although the latter became an RIAA-certified gold seller. At the Teen Choice Awards on August 8, 2004, Simpson received the "Song of the Summer" Teen Choice Award for "Pieces of Me", as well as the "Fresh Face" Award.[10] She also won the Billboard Award for New Female Artist of the Year in December,[11] and in the same month, Entertainment Weekly named her one of its Breakout Stars of 2004.[12]
Simpson appeared as a musical guest on the October 23, 2004 episode of Saturday Night Live, where she was scheduled to perform two songs, "Pieces of Me" and "Autobiography". When she began singing "Autobiography", the vocals for "Pieces of Me" were heard again before Simpson had the microphone to her mouth. She began to do an impromptu jig when she realized the embarrassing error, and then left the stage. During the closing of the show, Simpson appeared with the guest host, Jude Law, and said, "I'm so sorry. My band started playing the wrong song, and I didn't know what to do, so I thought I'd do a hoedown."[13] On October 25, Simpson called in to the music video show Total Request Live and explained that due to complications arising from severe acid reflux disease, she had completely lost her voice and been advised not to sing by her doctor. She said that because of the acid reflux, her father wanted her to use a vocal guide track for the performance. During the performance her drummer hit the wrong button, which caused the wrong track to be played. Simpson said of the incident, "I made a complete fool of myself."[14] and has a baby
2005–06: Touring and I Am Me
On January 4, 2005, Simpson performed "La La" at the halftime show for the 2005 Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. After her performance, many of the 72,000-plus spectators booed. Some viewers noted that Kelly Clarkson had performed in the show earlier to a much more positive reaction, and asserted that Simpson's performance was poor and very off-key.[15][16][17][18] After the Orange Bowl performance, an internet petition was created at PetitionOnline.com, which requested that Simpson stop producing music. It soon became one of the most active of the site's petitions.[19] In regards to the negativity towards her, Simpson said, "That's cool. You don't always have to be a fan of everybody's music", adding that she receives a great amount of support from her fans.[20] Around the time of the petition, Cosmopolitan magazine chose Simpson to be on the cover of the February 2005 issue, naming her the "Fun Fearless Female of the Year".[21] Simpson's first North American tour ran from mid-February to late April 2005.[22] The tour was described as "stripped down" without pyrotechnics.[23] As well as material from Autobiography, Simpson performed her own unreleased song "Hollywood", The Pretenders' "Brass in Pocket", Blondie's "Call Me" and Madonna's "Burning Up". She had a supporting role as an aspiring actress named Clea in Undiscovered, an independent film which was released in theaters in August 2005. While her performance was met with indifference,[24][25] the film itself was panned by critics[26] and failed to reach the top 10 in its opening weekend,[27] earning just $676,048 during its theatrical run. Her performance in the film earned her a Razzie nomination for Worst Supporting Actress.
Simpson's second album, I Am Me, was released on October 18, 2005. She wanted to incorporate the feel of music from the 1980s on the album, and unlike with her debut, she wanted to focus less on relationships and more on herself.[28] The album debuted at number-one, selling around 220,000 copies in its first week,[29] but sales fell quickly, and by April 2006, it had sold less than 900,000 copies in the United States and 3 million copies worldwide.[30][31] Its lead single, "Boyfriend", became a top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 while the next two singles, "L.O.V.E." and "Invisible", reached the top 40. Simpson began a concert tour in late September in Portland, Oregon and appeared on the October 8, 2005 episode of SNL to promote the album. The first song she performed on the show was "Catch Me When I Fall", a ballad written about her previous SNL experience, and she thanked the crowd after her second performance. In mid-December, Simpson collapsed after performing in Japan, and was briefly hospitalized, consequently cancelling an appearance at the Radio Music Awards. The collapse and her subsequent hospitalization were attributed to exhaustion as a result of her busy work schedule.[32] In March 2006, Simpson won an MTV celebrity surfing invitational competition, which also featured celebrities such as Meagan Good, Jack Osbourne, Ashley Parker Angel and Tony Hawk. On April 12, 2006, she hosted and performed at the MTV Australia Video Music Awards, where she won "Best Female Artist" and "Best Pop Video" for the single "Boyfriend".[33] She began a summer tour on June 5, 2006, with Ashley Parker Angel as the opening act.[34] Simpson said that after the completion of the tour, she would look at film scripts and continue her acting career.[35]
Simpson had a nose job in April 2006. In the May 2007 issue of Harper's Bazaar, she said that she was not insecure about her appearance and had not been beforehand. She said that plastic surgery was a "personal choice" that one should only decide to do for oneself and not for others.[36] In a September 2007 interview, her father, Joe Simpson said of the surgery: "There was a real problem with her breathing and that was cured".[37] In mid-2006, Simpson gave an interview to Marie Claire magazine, in which she was said to have "had it with Hollywood's twisted view of feminine beauty" and was photographed painting a pro-female mural with a group of underprivileged girls from Los Angeles' Green Dot Public School.[38] By the time the magazine hit newsstands, Simpson had already had her nose job, and some Marie Claire readers complained that this was hypocritical. The magazine received over 1,000 letters of complaint and the magazine's new editor expanded the letters section of the September issue of the magazine to give readers a chance to vent their frustrations.[39][40] She played the role of Roxie Hart in the West End production of Chicago to rave reviews, from September 25 to October 28, 2006.[41] Her performance in the show was described as "dazzling and near flawless."[42]
2007–10: Bittersweet World, marriage, motherhood and Melrose Place
During 2007, Simpson worked on her third studio album, Bittersweet World[43] with producers Timbaland, Kenna, and Chad Hugo.[44] She described the album as being influenced by 1980s music—bearing similarities with I Am Me—while still incorporating elements of rock and pop and described her intention to go on tour to support the album.[45] Geffen Records chairman Ron Fair said in December 2006 that working on Simpson's next album would be "very tricky" because of press scrutiny and "prejudices", but that Geffen would work with her to overcome that, "because she deserves to be heard and she deserves a shot."[46] Bittersweet World was released in the United States on April 22, 2008 to mixed reviews.[47] The album's first single, the Timbaland-produced "Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)", was released as a digital download in December 2007[45], but failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single, "Little Miss Obsessive", was released in March 2008 and performed marginally better, reaching number 96 on the Hot 100.[48] A collection of tops designed by Simpson was launched by the clothing retailer Wet Seal on April 22, in connection with the album's release,[49] and she also began appearing in commercials for Canadian retailer Zellers to promote their independent clothing line, Request, in mid-2008.[50] Bittersweet World has sold 126,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[51]
Simpson announced her engagement to Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz on April 9, 2008.[52] She had previously been wearing what she described as a "promise ring" from Wentz for several months.[52] She chose not to confirm or deny reports that she was pregnant, saying that it was something to "keep personal."[53][54] On May 17, 2008, Simpson and Wentz married[55] at Simpson's parents' residence in Encino, California, where her father officiated the ceremony. Her surname changed from Simpson to Wentz and she was briefly known professionally as Ashlee Simpson-Wentz.[56] On May 28, 2008, Simpson and Wentz confirmed that they were expecting their first child.[57] Simpson gave birth to their son, Bronx Mowgli Wentz, on November 20, 2008.[58] Simpson appeared alongside her husband in the crime drama series CSI: NY in 2009.
Simpson returned full-time to television episodes by playing the role of Violet Foster in Melrose Place, the CW's revamp of the '90s series of the same name.[59] She was originally signed to the show as a regular, but producers and CW executives decided to write out her character, and she left the show after 13 episodes. Various rumors circulated as to the reason for her sudden departure, with theories including feuds with other cast members, lack of acting ability and financial issues. Her departure was generally attributed to the show needing a "face lift" because of the decreasing viewing figures.[60] Simpson stated that she had known all along that her character would leave the show once the murder mystery storyline had concluded.[61] After her departure from Melrose Place, Simpson reprised her role in the Broadway musical production of Chicago. She began her Broadway run on November 30, 2009 and performed in New York for six weeks. She played eight shows a week until February 7, 2010.[62] When her run was completed, she stated that she was going to take a break to spend time with her son before beginning to work on her fourth studio album.[63]
2011–present: Fashion line and fourth album
On February 9, 2011, it was announced that Simpson had filed for divorce from Pete Wentz, citing irreconcilable differences. In the filing, she requested joint legal custody with visitation for Wentz, but sole physical custody and spousal support. She also asked that her name be restored to her birth name of Ashlee Nicole Simpson.[64]
Simpson created a fashion line in collaboration with her sister's successful brand. She is the co-creative director of the line, aimed at girls aged 7–16, which is set to be in stores by the end of 2011.[65] In an interview with Paper magazine, Simpson stated that her new album would have a "folk feel".[66] However, on June 23, 2011, Ryan Seacrest confirmed on On Air with Ryan Seacrest that Simpson had been having meetings with record executives along with previous collaborator, John Shanks, to figure out the exact direction of her next album.[67] Simpson appeared on the second episode of The CW's America's Next Top Model, Cycle 17 as a guest judge. In the episode, she declared that she was still working on her new album. In October 2011, John Feldmann, who previously worked on 2 tracks on Autobiography revealed via Twitter that he was recording with Simpson.
Music and influences
When Simpson first broke onto the music scene in 2004, she was set apart from her sister, Jessica's already established image due to a different music style, different fashion choices, and a more assertive personality. Simpson's songs have been characterized by rock elements absent from her sister's music, and, particularly during her early career, Simpson would often wear outfits highlighting a rock or punk-influenced sense of style. She cites her childhood as being the time when she began to sing, and admits that she dreamed of being on Broadway and did not expect to break into the pop music scene.[68] She trains with a vocal coach, and studies Etta James and Aretha Franklin albums for vocal inspiration.[69] She has cited Gwen Stefani, No Doubt, Joan Jett, The Runaways, Madonna, Pat Benatar, Chrissie Hynde, and Debbie Harry from Blondie as her musical influences.[70]
Filmography
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2002 | The Hot Chick | Monique | Appearance |
2005 | Undiscovered | Clea | Secondary Role |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2001 | Malcolm in the Middle | High School Girl | "Reese Cooks" (episode 18, season 2) |
2002—2004 | 7th Heaven | Cecilia Smith | |
2004—2005 | The Ashlee Simpson Show | Herself | Reality show |
2009 | CSI: NY | Lila Wickfield | "Point of No Return" (episode 18, season 5) |
2009—2010 | Melrose Place | Violet Foster | Season 1, Episodes 1 - 13 |
2011 | America's Next Top Model | Herself | Season 17, Episode 2 |
Theater
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | Chicago | Roxie Hart | West End |
2009 | Chicago | Roxie Hart | Broadway |
Discography
- Autobiography (2004)
- I Am Me (2005)
- Bittersweet World (2008)
- TBA (2012)
Awards and nominations
See also
References
- ^ "Songwriter/Composer: SIMPSON ASHLEE NICOLLE". BMI. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
- ^ State of Texas. Texas Birth Index (1903 - 1997).Texas Department of State Health Services. Lists daughters of Joe Truett Simpson as Jessica Ann (born July 10, 1980, Taylor County, Texas) and Ashley Nicole (born October 3, 1984, McLennan County, Texas).
- ^ Although the minimum age for admission was technically 12, Joe Simpson said that he lied about his daughter's age to get her into the school in an October 2004 interview. (Jeff Leeds, The New York Times, "Who Wants to Be a New Simpson?", Section 2, Page 1, October 3, 2004.)
- ^ Stephen M. Silverman, "Ashlee Simpson: I Had 'Minor' Eating Disorder", People.com, December 8, 2005.
- ^ Janelle Brown, "Ashlee Simpson", Seventeen, November 2004, pages 86–89.
- ^ Ashlee Simpson-Wentz at IMDb
- ^ "Ashlee Simpson: Her Most Revealing & Heartfelt Interview Ever," Life Story Jessica, page 68–72.
- ^ "Metacritic Autobiography review collection". Retrieved September 7, 2005.
- ^ "Rolling Stone magazine review of Autobiography". Retrieved Nov 17 2009.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
(help) - ^ Stephen M. Silverman, "Lindsay Lohan Tops Teen Choice Awards", People.com, August 9, 2004.
- ^ Charlie Amter, ""Billboard" Awards Usher in Victory", E! Online News, December 9, 2004.
- ^ "Breakouts 2004", EW.com, December 7, 2004. (Entertainment Weekly, Issue #797, December 17, 2004.)
- ^ "USA Today: Did 'Saturday Night Live' expose Ashlee Simpson's extra help?". October 24, 2004. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
- ^ Vineyard, Jennifer (October 25, 2004). "Ashlee Blames Gastric Distress For 'SNL' Lip-Synch Snafu". MTV News.
- ^ Graham, Renée (January 11, 2005). "Ashlee Simpson's career comes courtesy of Daddy dearest". Boston Globe.
- ^ Pulskamp, Andrew (January 5, 2005). "Ashlee Simpson's Halftime Performance Falls Flat". Local10.com.
- ^ "MTV — Orange Bowl halftime show story". Retrieved August 27, 2005.
- ^ "Audio of Orange Bowl performance (MP3)". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 7, 2005.
- ^ "Yahoo News — Online petition story". Retrieved August 27, 2005.
- ^ "Sun Herald — Simpson comments about petition". Archived from the original on 2005-08-30. Retrieved August 27, 2005.
- ^ Donna Freydkin, "'Cosmopolitan' honors the 'fun and fearless' in NYC", USA Today, February 7, 2005.
- ^ Moss, Corey (February 17, 2005). "Ashlee Simpson Soldiers On, Like Always, Through Tour-Launch Snafus". MTV.
- ^ Bird, Rick (2005-03-08). "Ashlee Simpson at the Taft: Jessica's sister, now on her first full-length national tour, is getting some credit from critics". The Cincinnati Post. E. W. Scripps Company. Archived from the original on 2005-03-12.
{{cite news}}
: More than one of|author=
and|last=
specified (help) - ^ Rechtshaffen, Michael (2005-08-26). "Michael Rechtshaffen's review of Undiscovered". Hollywood Reporter.(registration required)
- ^ Elder, Robert K. (August 2005). "Robert K. Elder's review of Undiscovered". Hollywood Reporter.[dead link ]
- ^ "Metacritic.com — Undiscovered reviews". Retrieved August 27, 2005.
- ^ "BBC Undiscovered opening weekend numbers". BBC News. August 29, 2005. Retrieved August 30, 2005.
- ^ Vineyard, Jennifer (March 25, 2005). "Ashlee Simpson Going '80s, Getting Personal On Next Album". MTV.
- ^ "It's All About Ashlee: Simpson Scores Another #1 With I Am Me". Retrieved October 26, 2005.
- ^ Melrose Place Cast, The CW Television Network, retrieved 2009-12-02
- ^ Jonathan Cohen, "Ashlee Simpson Hitting The Road This Summer", Billboard.com, April 25, 2006.
- ^ Vineyard, Jennifer (2005-12-19). "Ashlee Simpson's Collapse Due To Exhaustion". MTV. Retrieved 2006-04-02.
- ^ "Ashlee Simpson, The Veronicas Among The Winners At MTV Australia Video Music Awards", MTV News, April 13, 2006.
- ^ "Ashlee Simpson Sets Summer 2006 Tour: I AM ME Tour to Hit 32 Cities, The Veronicas and Ashley Parker Angel to Perform Show Openers" (Press release). Geffen Records. 2006-05-17. Retrieved 2006-09-18.[dead link ]
- ^ Jennifer Vineyard, "Ashlee Simpson Hosts Pajama Party, Says She Needs Rest", MTV News, July 20, 2006.
- ^ Jenny Hontz, Harper's Bazaar, May 2007.
- ^ Roger Friedman, "Jessica and Ashlee Simpson: Why They're Not Britney Spears", Fox News, September 25, 2007.
- ^ Dennis Hensley, "Ashlee Simpson's Body Language", Marie Claire, July 2006, pages 50–54.
- ^ "Marie Claire Goes Edgy and Anti-Simpson", Rollingstone.com, July 31, 2006.
- ^ Jennifer Vineyard, "Marie Claire Editor, Readers Lash Out At Ashlee Simpson", MTV News, August 4, 2006.
- ^ "Pop Singer Ashlee Simpson to Play Chicago's Roxie in London", Broadway.com, September 14, 2006.
- ^ Peter Law, "Ashlee Simpson 'rox' the West End", thisislocallondon.co.uk, September 28, 2006.
- ^ James Montgomery, "Ashlee Simpson shows Christmas Gifts For Fans (New Album Title) And Pete Wentz (Shh!)", MTV News, December 19, 2007.
- ^ Jennifer Vineyard, "Ashlee Simpson's Bad-Girl Alter Ego Rules New Timbaland-Produced Album", MTV News, September 9, 2007.
- ^ a b Jonathan Cohen, "Ashlee Goes 'Surreal' For New Video", Billboard.com, December 7, 2007.
- ^ "For The Record: Quick News On Gwen, Good Charlotte, Christina, Katharine McPhee, Ashlee, Rihanna & More", MTV News, December 6, 2006.
- ^ "Ashlee Simpson's New CD Draws Mixed Reviews", People.com, April 22, 2008.
- ^ ""Little Miss Obsessive" Single Out Today!", AshleeSimpsonMusic.com, March 11, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
- ^ "Ashlee Simpson Designs for Wet Seal to Premiere April 22nd", Wet Seal press release (Business Wire), March 27, 2008.
- ^ Zellers Commercial on YouTube[dead link ]
- ^ Reuters. April 8, 2009 http://blogs.reuters.com/fanfare/2009/04/08/jessica-simpsons-country-foray-is-over/.
{{cite news}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help) - ^ a b "Ashlee and Pete Fall into Engagement", E! Online, April 9, 2008.
- ^ Chris Harris, "Ashlee Simpson Talks About Pregnancy Rumors During Visit To MTV", MTV News, April 16, 2008.
- ^ "Ashlee Simpson Dodges Pregnancy Question at MTV", People.com, April 15, 2008.
- ^ "Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz Get Married!". People Magazine. 2008-05-17. Retrieved 2008-05-18.
- ^ James Montgomery (2008-05-28). "Ashlee Simpson Plans To Change Name To Ashlee Simpson-Wentz". MTV News. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
- ^ Breaking News From Pete And Ashlee
- ^ Marisa Laudadio (November 21, 2008). "It's a Boy for Ashlee & Pete!". People. Retrieved 2008-11-21.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Ashlee Simpson moves into 'Melrose Place'", The Hollywood Reporter, Nielsen Business Media, Inc., 9 March 2009, retrieved 2009-12-02 [dead link ]
- ^ Ashlee Simpson Fired From Melrose Place: Cast Hated Her, She Couldn't Act
- ^ Ashlee Simpson Says Sister, Jessica, Has an Amazing Body, CMR, 16 November 2009, retrieved 2009-12-02
- ^ Dominguez, Robert (16 November 2009), Ashlee Simpson-Wentz headed for Broadway; will be newest Roxie Hart in long-running 'Chicago', New York: NYDailyNews.com, retrieved 2009-12-02
- ^ Ashlee Simpson getting music itch - Music news, latest news, breaking music news, singers, bands, MSN Music - MSN UK
- ^ "Whoa—Ashlee Simpson-Wentz Files for Divorce!". eonline.com. 2011-02-09. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
- ^ Stewart, Ella (June 1, 2011). "Jessica & Ashlee Simpson New Tween Fashion Line: Is It Any Good?". E! Online.
- ^ "Ashlee Simpson To Release "Folky" Album & Fashion Line".
- ^ "Ashlee Simpson Has a New Man In Her Life". Kissfm.com. 2011-06-23. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
- ^ "Ashlee Simpson AOL Music Exclusive Interview", AOL Music, October 2005.
- ^ Thor Christensen, "Ashlee Simpson finds a high note in every low point of her career", The Dallas Morning News (GuideLive.com), June 16, 2006.
- ^ Ashlee Simpson Ticketmaster Exclusive Interview, Ticketmaster.com.
External links
- Official website
- Ashlee Simpson on Twitter
- Ashlee Simpson at IMDb
- Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{langx|en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. - unofficial site
- Ashlee Simpson
- 1984 births
- Living people
- Actors from Texas
- American dance musicians
- American dancers
- American female singers
- American film actors
- American pop singers
- American pop singer-songwriters
- American singer-songwriters
- American television actors
- Baptists from the United States
- English-language singers
- Musicians from Dallas, Texas
- Musicians from Texas
- Participants in American reality television series
- People from Dallas, Texas