Currently single Jessica Simpson is the new "It" girl

Jessica Ann Simpson was born on July 10, 1980. She rose to fame during the late 90’s when her music earned popularity. A decade later, her celebrity status underwent a resurgence thanks in large part to her MTV reality show, Newlyweds, which she starred in along with her then-husband Nick Lachey. With her status rising, Simpson not only saw her album sales go up, but was also able to release her own signature line of beauty products, Dessert Beauty and Dessert Treat, in addition to starting a career as an actress.

Simpson was born and raised in Texas, began singing at a very young age as a part of her church choir. Her father is Joe Simpson, a former Baptist youth minister, and her sister is Ashlee Simpson, whose music career took off in the middle of 2004. When she was 12, she made an unsuccessful bid to join The New Mick Mouse Club, which was comprised of several rising stars, including Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake. Impressed by Simpson’s singing performance at a church camp, an executive of a small contemporary Christian record label offered Simpson a record deal, which had her for a period of three years, in a studio recording her first album. Due to the label’s insolvency, the record was never released. Simpson missed her senior year of high school to tour with the Christian Youth Conference circuit and to promote her demo album, funded by her grandmother. After her performances, Simpson and her father sold copies of her album, which would eventually wind up in the hands of Tommy Mottola of Columbia Records, who would ultimately give her a record deal and a chance to achieve mainstream commercial success.

In late 1999, Simpson’s debut album, Sweet Kisses, hit stores debuting at #25 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, while penetrating the top 40 of UK album charts. Thanks to hit singles like, “I Wanna Love You Forever,” “Where You Are,” and “I Think I’m in Love with You,” the album would go on to sell two million units in the U.S. Two years later, in the summer of 2001, Simpson would release her sophomore album, Irresistible. The album, which included top twenty his single, “Irresistible” would reach the Billboard 200’s top ten, an improvement over her first album’s debut. However, the album was a bit of a letdown in terms of commercial success compared to her first album, selling 500,000 copies in the U.S. The following year, Columbia Records would release an EP remix album, This Is the Remix; a compilation of electro-dance remixes of Simpson’s hit singles. The album would go on to sell only 28,000 copies.

Early in her career, Simpson said that she was saving her virginity until she was married, though that claim has not been fully trusted by the general public. She married Nick Lachey, the former frontman for the pop band 98 Degrees, in late 2002. The couple’s life was made into an MTV reality show, Newlyweds, which was relatively popular. In 2004, Simpson would also appear on a variety show with Lachey on ABC, called the Nick and Jessica Variety Hour. That same year, Simpson would take home three Teen Choice Award for Hottie Female, Female Fashion Icon, as well as Female Reality/Variety TV Star for Newlyweds. Simpson’s third album, In This Skin, released in 2003 at the time of Newlyweds premiere, did not make a huge splash on music charts. However, thanks to the popularity of Newlyweds, the album’s special collector’s edition released in the following year, debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 and the top 40 of UK charts. The album, which included hit single, “With You,” would go on to become her most commercially successful album, selling close to three million copies in the U.S.

During the holiday season of 2004, Simpson released a holiday album, ReJoyce: The Christmas Album, which would climb to #14 on U.S. charts. In the following year, Simpson debuted her acting skills playing Daisy Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard, a film would open at the top of the U.S. box-office chart with a gross of 30 million plus. In November 2005, after months of speculation and rumor, Simpson and Lachey would officially announce their split. Simpson filed for divorce in December of 2005, citing “irreconcilable differences.”

Simpson is currently set to release a new album in August of 2006 entitled A Public Affair. Her next single, “A Public Affair” will hit airwaves on June 23, 2006 and a music video for the song is scheduled to be released on June 30, 2006. Simpson will also continue to pursue her acting career, starring in her second film, Employee of the Month. She also reportedly has won the role of “Emily Benjamin” in Major Movie Star, and will also appear in the big screen adaptation of Dallas.

Freelance writter covering music industry