Jessica Ann Simpson (born July 10, 1980) is an
American pop singer and
actress who rose to fame in the late 1990s. She has achieved seven
Billboard Top 40 hits, and has three gold and two multi-platinum
RIAA-certified albums. Simpson starred with her then-husband
Nick Lachey in the
MTV reality show Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica. She has also begun working as an actress, and is the older sister of
Ashlee Simpson, an internationally successful
pop rock singer and actress.
Early life
She was born
Jessica Ann Simpson in
Abilene,
Texas, the daughter of Tina and
Joe Truett Simpson, who was a minister and psychologist.
As a child, she began singing at her local
Baptist church. At age twelve, Simpson unsuccessfully auditioned for
The Mickey Mouse Club.
While attending
J.J. Pearce High School, she recorded a
gospel music album with Proclaim Records. The record company went bankrupt and the album was never released. Simpson left high school at age sixteen (she later earned her
GED), and toured the Christian music circuit. After
Columbia Records executive
Tommy Mottola heard one of Simpsons' independent releases, she was signed to the label.
