Ashlee Nicole Wentz, better known by her former stage name Ashlee Simpson and now professionally known as Ashlee Simpson-Wentz (born October 3, 1984 as Ashley Nicole Simpson), is an American pop rock singer-songwriter, and occasional actress. Simpson-Wentz, who is the younger sister of pop singer Jessica Simpson, rose to prominence in mid-2004 through the success of her number-one debut album Autobiography and the accompanying reality series The Ashlee Simpson Show. Simpson-Wentz received widespread criticism when she used a pre-recorded vocal track on Saturday Night Live in October 2004. Following a North American concert tour and a film appearance, Simpson-Wentz released a second number-one album, I Am Me, in October 2005. Her third album, Bittersweet World, was released in April 2008.
Early life
Simpson-Wentz was born in Waco, Texas, and raised in Richardson, Texas. She is the daughter of Joe Truett Simpson (a former Baptist youth minister who is now her manager) and Tina Ann Drew.
Ashlee attended Prairie Creek Elementary. An accomplished dancer, Simpson began studying classical ballet at the age of three, and was admitted to the School of American Ballet in New York City at the age of eleven. Around that time, she suffered from an eating disorder; the condition lasted about six months, and she dropped to about 31 kg (70 pounds) at 159 cm (5 ft 2 in), but her parents then stepped in and got her to eat more. After her sister Jessica Simpson landed a record deal, the Simpson family decided to move to Los Angeles, California, where Ashlee began appearing in television commercials.
Career
Early years
When Jessica became a star after releasing her first album, Ashlee became one of her backup dancers. Later, Ashlee began appearing in films and television series, including an episode of the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle in 2001, a minor role in the 2002 film The Hot Chick and a recurring role, 39 episodes from 2002-2004, on the family drama series 7th Heaven.
In the summer of 2003, Ashlee recorded a song titled "Just Let Me Cry" for the soundtrack of the film Freaky Friday. Eventually, Simpson signed a record deal with Geffen Records.
Debut album and reality television (2004)
- See also: Autobiography (Ashlee Simpson album)
Simpson-Wentz's first album, Autobiography, debuted at number one in the U.S. in July 2004 with first week sales numbering around 398,000 copies. The album was certified triple platinum in September 2004. Simpson co-wrote all of the album's tracks and described it as "very true to my emotions" in one interview, but critical reviews were mixed. Rolling Stone magazine's Peter Relic characterised Autobiography as a "mundane melange of Avril-ish brat pop and Sheryl Crow cod rock". E! Online wrote "Even if it doesn't wow you, Autobiography may surprise you."[10] The single that preceded the album, "Pieces of Me," was one of the biggest hits of the summer in the U.S. and sold well elsewhere. However, the follow-up singles "Shadow" and "La La" were less successful.
Simpson-Wentz occasionally appeared on Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, a reality show about the married life of Jessica and her then-husband Nick Lachey. To accompany the beginning of her own music career, she got her own MTV reality show entitled The Ashlee Simpson Show, which aired in a subsequent time slot to Newlyweds. It ran in the U.S. for eight weekly episodes over the summer of 2004, and a second season of ten episodes aired from January to March 2005. The show dealt with the process of writing, recording, and performing Simpson-Wentz's music as well as aspects of her personal life.
When appearing for live performances, Simpson-Wentz performs live with a backing band. During the period from 2004 to 2006, the band consisted of Ray Brady (guitar), Braxton Olita (guitar), Joey Kaimana (bass guitar—from 2004 to 2005 Zach Kennedy filled this role), Chris Megert (keyboards and vocals—from late 2004 to 2005 Lucy Walsh filled this role), and Chris Fox (drums).
In addition to her own first album, Simpson-Wentz sang "Christmas Past, Present, and Future" on the 2004 holiday album Radio Disney Jingle Jams and a duet of the Christmas song "Little Drummer Boy" with her sister Jessica for the album Rejoyce, which they had sung together during the ABC variety hour special Nick & Jessica's Family Christmas.
At the Teen Choice Awards on August 8, 2004, Simpson-Wentz received the "Song of the Summer" Teen Choice Award for "Pieces of Me," as well as the "Fresh Face" award. In addition, she also won a Billboard Award for New Female Artist of the Year in December, and in the same month she was named one of Entertainment Weekly's Breakout Stars of 2004. Simpson-Wentz also co-hosted Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve along with Regis Philbin (in Dick Clark's absence) at the end of the year, hosting the West Coast portion of the show and performing three songs.
The Saturday Night Live incident
Simpson-Wentz appeared as a musical guest on Episode 568 of Saturday Night Live (October 23–24, 2004), and as is customary for the show's format, she was scheduled to perform two songs. Her first song, "Pieces of Me", was performed without problems. However, when she began her second song, "Autobiography", the vocals for the song "Pieces of Me" were heard again—before she had raised the microphone to her mouth. Simpson-Wentz began to dance and then left the stage, while the band (not a recording) continued playing. During the closing of the show Simpson-Wentz 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 hoe down."
On October 25, Simpson-Wentz called in to the music video show Total Request Live and explained that due to complications arising from "severe" acid reflux (which had previously been seen in The Ashlee Simpson Show) she had completely lost her voice and her doctor had advised her not to sing. She said that because of the acid reflux, her father wanted her to use a vocal guide track for the performance. She said of the incident, "I made a complete fool of myself." According to Simpson-Wentz, the drummer hit the wrong button, which caused the wrong track to be played. During the October 25 Radio Music Awards broadcast, Simpson-Wentz pretended, as a joke, to make the same mistake as she did in the SNL incident, but then began to perform "Autobiography" without using a pre-recorded vocal track as she had done during the prior SNL performance. On October 31, the CBS news program 60 Minutes aired footage from Simpson-Wentz's rehearsals before the SNL performance in which Simpson-Wentz is shown to be disturbed by voice trouble.
Jeannette Walls compared the impact of the SNL incident to the 1990 Milli Vanilli incident in which their guide track skipped during a live MTV performance, revealing that they were lip-synching.
The New York Times said the much-viewed clip of Simpson-Wentz's SNL appearance "may just be this year's best music video," but dismissed its significance: "one of 2004's most popular new stars had been exposed as ... As what, exactly?"
Orange Bowl performance and first tour (early 2005)
On January 4, 2005, Simpson-Wentz 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. Others note that Kelly Clarkson had performed before Simpson-Wentz in the show to a far more positive reaction, and assert that Simpson-Wentz's performance was poor and very off-key. Following her Orange Bowl performance, an Internet petition at PetitionOnline.com asking Simpson-Wentz to stop producing music became one of the most active of the site's petitions. Simpson-Wentz later said: "That's cool. You don't always have to be a fan of everybody's music", also citing the support she had received from her fans. Around the time of the petition, Cosmopolitan magazine chose Simpson-Wentz to be on the cover of the February 2005 issue, naming her the "Fun Fearless Female of the Year".
Simpson-Wentz's first U.S. headlining tour (with two dates in Canada as well) ran from mid-February to late April 2005, and its opening acts were Pepper's Ghost and The Click Five.[26] In addition to 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 said that the tour would be "stripped down", without pyrotechnics, and that "it's going to be me and my band getting out there and having fun". In March 2005, Simpson said that The Ashlee Simpson Show would conclude at the end of its second season, the last episode of which aired at the end of the month.
Film, second album, and theater (2005–2006)
- See also: I Am Me
Simpson-Wentz had a supporting role as an aspiring actress named Clea in Undiscovered (originally titled Wannabe), an independent film that was released in theaters in August 2005. Simpson filmed her scenes in late 2004. While Simpson's performance was met with acceptable reviews, the film itself was trashed by critics and placed outside of the top ten in its opening weekend, earning just $676,048. Her performance in the film earned her a Razzie nomination for Worst Supporting Actress.
Simpson-Wentz's second album, I Am Me, was released in the U.S. on October 18, 2005. Simpson said that she had wanted to incorporate the feel of music from the 1980s on the album, and that unlike her debut it would focus less on relationships and more on herself. I Am Me debuted at number one with roughly 220,000 copies sold, but sales quickly deteriorated; by April 2006, it had sold a little less than 900,000 copies. Its first single, "Boyfriend", became a top twenty hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and performed similarly elsewhere. The second single, "L.O.V.E.", reached the U.S. top twenty-five, its success aided by a remix by R&B/hip-hop producer Missy Elliott and MTV's heavy rotation of the single's music video (it has been her most successful video to date on Total Request Live).
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 of Simpson's two performances on the show was of the ballad "Catch Me When I Fall", which was written about her previous SNL experience, and she thanked the crowd after her second performance. In mid-December, Simpson collapsed after performing in Japan, possibly due to exhaustion. She was briefly hospitalized, and consequently cancelled an appearance at the Radio Music Awards.
Simpson and her sister Jessica were scheduled to appear in Rolling Stone magazine in a shoot shot by photographer David LaChapelle in 2005. Upon hearing the concept, both sisters were said to be uncomfortable with LaChapelle's raunchy ideas and cancelled, outraging the photographer. He ranted to the press in early 2006, calling them "everything that's wrong with music." Furthering his statement, LaChapelle said he was just trying to "make the Simpsons look cool. I realize now that is an impossible task." LaChapelle planned to have the sisters "down and dirty" and appearing with snakes.
Simpson appeared on the December 2005/January 2006 cover of Teen People with her sister Jessica, and could also be seen on the December 2005 issue of Blender, Cosmopolitan magazine's January 2006 edition, the March 2006 issues of Seventeen and ELLE, the April 2006 issue of JANE, the June/July 2006 issue of Teen People (in which she was named one of its "25 hottest stars under twenty-five"), the July 2006 issue of Marie Claire and the September 2006 issue of CosmoGirl.
Simpson won a Kelly Slater/MTV celebrity surfing invitational competition, which also featured celebrities such as Meagan Good, Jack Osbourne (her main competitor during the competition), Ashley Parker Angel and Tony Hawk, as part of an MTV-sponsored 'Spring Break' Special in March 2006. 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 "Boyfriend"). A new single, "Invisible", was released in mid-2006 and reached the top 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. Initially it was said that the song would appear on a re-released version of I Am Me, but this never occurred. Simpson began a summer tour on June 5, 2006 with Ashley Parker Angel as an opening act; initially The Veronicas also opened but quit the tour after the first few shows due to a problem with one of their singers' vocal cords.
Simpson said that after this tour, which ended in late July, she would be going on vacation, that she would take her time making her third album, and that she would look at movie scripts and continue her acting career.
Simpson played the role of Roxie Hart in the London stage production of Chicago to rave reviews, from September 25 to October 28, 2006. One reviewer called Simpson's performance in the show "dazzling and near flawless".
Bittersweet World (2007–present)
- See also: Bittersweet World
In November 2006, Simpson said that she was going to meet with record executives soon and begin working on her third album. During 2007, Simpson worked on the album, which was eventually given the title Bittersweet World,[46] with producers Timbaland, Kenna, and Chad Hugo. She said that it would have a more "soulful" sound and more emphasis on beats than guitars.
Geffen 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."[48] A March 2007 interview with EW.com suggested she was working with a variety of musicians for her new album.
In October, the album's release was delayed to the first quarter of 2008. The album's first single, the Timbaland-produced "Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)", was released as a digital download in December 2007.
In an interview with CosmoGIRL! for its December 2007/January 2008 issue (for which she was the cover girl), Simpson said that she had a "stronger vision" for this album and that she challenged herself by "working with new sounds and new people". She described the result as a "fun party album" with a "silly and quirky" side. Regarding her future plans, she said that she wanted to take some small movie roles and eventually move into bigger roles. She also said she would like to do theater again and to someday have a clothing line.
Simpson has described the album as having some influences from '80s music while still incorporating some pop/rock. She intends to go on tour to support the album. Its second single, "Little Miss Obsessive", was released in March 2008.
Bittersweet World was released in the U.S. on April 22, 2008. Reviews for the album have been characterized as mixed.[54] A collection of tops designed by Simpson was being launched by the clothing retailer Wet Seal on April 22, in connection with the album's release.
Voice
Simpson cites her childhood as being the time when she began to sing, and admits that she dreamed of being on Broadway and didn't expect to break into the pop music scene.[56] Simpson's voice is described as being a Lyric Alto. The highest note Simpson has shown capabilities of hitting is an E5 (in her songs "Invisible" and "La La"), and the lowest note she has shown capabilities of hitting is an E3 (in her songs "Catch Me When I Fall" and "Shadow") – about a 2 octave range. On Simpson's voice, producer Ron Fair has said it has a "gritty tone", and in a review of her album Autobiography, a critic said "Simpson has a singing ability much like a harder-rocking Alanis Morissette, with the sassy aspect of Avril Lavigne, and the poise of such singers as Sheryl Crow". The New York Times has described Simpson's voice as "rather breathy, and mannered". Simpson trains with a vocal coach, and studies old Etta James and Aretha Franklin albums for vocal inspiration. In one interview, Simpson pointed to Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, and Chrissie Hynde as musical influences.
Image and personal life
When Simpson first broke onto the music scene in 2004, she was set apart from her sister's already established image by a different musical 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 the time of her initial stardom, Simpson would often wear outfits highlighting a more rock or punk-influenced sense of style. Her fingernails and toenails have often been painted black. Over time, Simpson has moved toward more typically feminine styles. In March 2008, she said that "I like to get dressed up now, and that's something I've never been into before" and "I like to be feminine and sexy." According to Simpson, in her sense of style she tends to "mix and match".
Previously blonde like Jessica, she dyed her hair dark during the recording of the MTV reality show after she finished filming for the 7th Heaven television series. In November 2004, she debuted a shorter haircut with the same dark color. Following the end of her Autobiography tour, in early May 2005 she moved back to a blonde color; she remained blonde until January 2008, when she appeared with a red hair color.
She has seven tattoos: a star on one wrist, two cherries on her ankle, the word "love" on her other wrist, the number "3" added to one wrist in 2007, and a large peony flower on one wrist in early March 2008.
Simpson and her sister were tied for third on oft-quoted celebrity-fashion critic Mr. Blackwell's list of the worst-dressed celebrities of 2004. Blackwell quipped that "from gaudy to grim to downright frenetic these two prove that bad taste is positively genetic."
Simpson's relationship with actor Josh Henderson lasted for nearly two years and was shown ending in the first episode of The Ashlee Simpson Show. Soon after, she began dating fellow musician Ryan Cabrera. That relationship was also featured on the show, and Simpson appeared as Cabrera's love interest in the music video for his song "On the Way Down". The two were reported to have split in August 2004 due to their hectic schedules, but they resumed their relationship for a while afterward, before ending it again in early 2005. Simpson said afterward that they were still friends, although rumors suggested that Simpson did not like the fact that Ryan had moved on to Lisa Origliasso of The Veronicas.
At the beginning of her music career, Simpson said that she would not discuss her sex life, in contrast with her sister, who had openly stated her intention to practice sexual abstinence until marriage. "I decided that I didn't want to talk about that because it's super personal," Simpson said of the situation.
In 2005, rumors began circulating that Simpson was in a relationship with Wilmer Valderrama, who previously was involved with Lindsay Lohan. Simpson's single "Boyfriend" was reported to be about the situation, but she said that the song "is about [how] every girl out there sometimes thinks you stole her boyfriend. It's just making fun of that." Valderrama subsequently said on Howard Stern's radio program that he had sex with Simpson, but claimed the incident was unrelated to his break-up with Lohan. Later that year, rumours arose that Simpson was secretly dating another Joe Simpson-managed actor, Viva La Bam's Chris Raab. In February 2006, she told Seventeen magazine that she was dating bandmate Braxton Olita and went on a 10-day vacation with him to Hawaii.
In November 2005, eTalk Daily broadcast a video of a late-night visit made by Simpson to a McDonald's fast-food restaurant in Toronto, Canada. Simpson appeared to be intoxicated in the video, and was shown arguing with an employee, as well as rejecting a customer's attempt to get an autograph from her because he wouldn't kiss her feet. According to Simpson in a 2006 ELLE interview, she was "a little tipsy", and the customer had first called her "gross" before he had realized who she was, at which point he asked her for an autograph. She said that she told herself to "grow up" after the incident.
In February 2006, Simpson was honored by MTV's Total Request Live (TRL), as the "Bounce-Back" artist. The award was given to her for being able to recover from the negative moments of her career and release another platinum album.
Simpson reportedly had a nose job in April 2006. When asked about it in an interview in May, Simpson neither confirmed nor denied it. 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. Joe Simpson said of the surgery in a September 2007 interview that "there was a real problem with her breathing and that was cured". In March 2008, she said that "as long as people have two eyes" they could determine whether she had a nose job.
In the June 2007 edition of Cosmopolitan, Simpson said that she hasn't lip synched since her Saturday Night Live incident, that she has "a little crush on Christian Slater", feels sexiest in bed, and that you can and can't have a good relationship without amazing sex.
Simpson was ranked as one of the "Hottest Women in Pop/R&B" by Blender magazine in January 2007. She was later voted as number 16 in Maxim's 2007 Hot 100 list.
In June 2006, it was reported that Simpson seriously considered but later turned down a $4 million offer to pose nude for Playboy.
In early September 2006, Us Weekly reported that Simpson and Braxton Olita had split up. Simpson's rep said that the couple "broke up about a week ago. They have decided to take a break."
Marriage
Simpson married Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz on May 17, 2008. The two were first seen together in late 2006; initially they denied being in a relationship, although there was much speculation about this. In an interview for OK! magazine in late 2006, Simpson denied the speculation, while in an interview with Pete Wentz on Ryan Seacrest's American Top 40 live, Seacrest asked if Wentz and Simpson were "on" or "off", and Wentz laughed and said "off". In a Rolling Stone photo shoot, however, Wentz and Simpson took a picture together for the opening of Wentz' bar, Angels & Kings, and were labeled as a "couple".
Eventually the two began to acknowledge the relationship. In mid-2007 Wentz spoke about their relationship to InTouch magazine, saying of Simpson that "I have never met somebody who makes me feel the way she makes me feel", although he denied rumors of engagement. Simpson has since discussed their relationship in a number of magazine interviews, including the September 2007 issue of Seventeen magazine and the December 2007/January 2008 issue of CosmoGIRL!. In March 2008, Simpson and Wentz presented the award for Favorite Reality Show at the 2008 Kids' Choice Awards.
The couple announced that they were engaged on April 9, 2008. Simpson had previously been wearing what she described as a "promise ring" from Wentz for several months. On April 14, Us Weekly and OK! magazine reported that Simpson is pregnant. Wentz promptly denied this in an e-mail to MTV News, although Simpson, in an interview the next day, chose not to confirm or deny the report, saying that it was something to "keep personal", and on TRL she noted that rumors claiming she was pregnant had been appearing for so long that, if they were all true, she "would have had a baby by now". Due to the marriage, Ashlee has legally changed her name from Simpson to Wentz with her stage name changing to "Simpson-Wentz". Simpson-Wentz says:
"I think that that's something that a woman should do when they're marrying a man. It's a tradition that I think is a great tradition."
On May 28, 2008, Simpson-Wentz and Pete Wentz announced on Fall Out Boy's official website that they were expecting their first child.: "While many have speculated about this, we wanted to wait until after the first trimester to officially confirm that we are expecting our first child. This is truly the most joyous time in our lives and we are excited to share the happy news and start our family."
Criticism
Jenny Eliscu of Rolling Stone magazine criticized Simpson-Wentz as being a "manufactured" artist with little singing talent. Simpson's critics cite incidents like the SNL episode and the Orange Bowl performance as evidence for their claims.
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's Green Dot Public School.[91] By the time the magazine hit newsstands, Simpson had already had her nose job, and some Marie Claire readers complained about this as being hypocritical. The magazine received over 1,000 angry letters 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.
Discography
- 2004: Autobiography
- 2005: I Am Me
- 2008: Bittersweet World
Filmography
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Hot Chick | Monique | Minor Role |
| 2005 | Undiscovered | Clea | Major Supporting Role |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Malcolm in the Middle | High School Girl | Mini Role Episode "Reese Cooks" |
| 2002–2004 | 7th Heaven | Cecilia Smith | Starring / 7-8 Season / 39 episodes |
| 2004–2005 | The Ashlee Simpson Show | Herself | Reality show |
Awards won
| Year | Award-giving body | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Fresh Face Choice Song of the Summer: "Pieces of Me" |
| 2004 | Billboard Awards | Best New Female Artist Of The Year |
| 2005 | MTV Asia Video Music Awards | Favourite International Breakthrough Artist |
| 2005 | RIAJ Gold Disc Award | Newest Artist |
| 2006 | TRL Awards | Bounce-Back Artist |
| 2006 | MTV Australia Video Music Awards | Best Female Artist Best Pop Video: "Boyfriend" |
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