Jessica Simpson

He asked her for an audition initially and signed her immediately after she performed "I Will Always Love You" (1973) by Dolly Parton.

She began working on her debut album with Proclaim Records and touring to promote the project.

Jessica's father later claimed that she had to quit touring as the size of her breasts led to her being deemed too "sexual" for the genre.

Her debut album, Jessica, remained unreleased after Proclaim Records went bankrupt; despite this, her grandmother funded a limited pressing of the album personally.

Shortly after this, Simpson landed several auditions as Jessica was sent to numerous labels and producers.

Ultimately, she caught the attention of Tommy Mottola, then married to Mariah Carey and the head of Columbia Records.

He went on to sign her to the label at the behest of Columbia talent scout Teresa LaBarbera Whites, claiming "She had a great little look and a great attitude, a fresh new face, and something a bit different than Britney and all of them; she could actually sing."

Simpson began working on her debut album in Orlando, Florida.

Mottola hoped to market Simpson as a contrast to Spears and Aguilera, both of whom had launched successful careers focused on dancing and sexuality.

While working on her musical debut, Simpson enlisted her father Joe as her manager; her mother became her stylist.

Simpson's parents married in 1978; they divorced in 2013.

Simpson has stated that she grew up in Dallas and Waco, but her parents now live in McGregor, Texas.

Simpson has a younger sister, Ashlee.

In her preteens she briefly attended Amelia Middle School while her father did outreach in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Jessica Ann Simpson (born July 10, 1980) is an American singer, actress, and businesswoman.

Simpson was born on July 10, 1980, in Abilene, Texas.

She is the first child of Tina Ann Simpson (née Drew), a homemaker, and Joseph Simpson, a minister.

Simpson auditioned for The Mickey Mouse Club at the age of twelve, auditioning with a performance of "Amazing Grace" and dancing to "Ice Ice Baby" (1990).

She advanced through multiple rounds, eventually being a semi-finalist for the show alongside artists such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake.

Simpson claimed that she became nervous about her final audition after seeing Aguilera perform, and she was not selected for the show, ultimately.

Simpson resumed performing in her church choir, being discovered by the head of a Christian music label eventually.

After performing in church choirs as a child, Simpson signed with Columbia Records in 1997, aged seventeen.

After moving back to Texas 20 months later, she attended J. J. Pearce High School in Richardson during her teenage years, though she had to drop out in 1997 as her career began to take off; a year later she earned her GED via distance learning through Texas Tech High School.

Simpson was raised in the Christian faith, and was given a purity ring by her father when she was twelve years old.

Jessica and her family moved frequently due to her father's job as a minister, though they remained in Texas for the most part; however, they did live in the Midwest for a few years.

She began singing in the church choir as a child.

When she was eleven, she dreamed of success as a singer while at a church retreat.

Her debut studio album, Sweet Kisses (1999), sold two million copies in the United States and saw the commercial success of the single "I Wanna Love You Forever".

Simpson adopted a more mature image for her second studio album, Irresistible (2001), and its title track became her second top 20 entry on the Billboard Hot 100.

The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

In This Skin (2003), Simpson's third studio album, sold three million copies in the United States.

During her earlier career, Simpson became known for her relationship with and later marriage to Nick Lachey, with whom she also appeared on the MTV reality television series Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica (2003–2005).

Following the release of her first Christmas album ReJoyce: The Christmas Album (2004), which was certified gold, Simpson made her film debut as Daisy Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard (2005).

She also recorded a cover of "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" for the film's soundtrack.

Aside from her musical pursuits, Simpson launched The Jessica Simpson Collection in 2005, a fashion-focused line with 34 product categories.

To date, the brand has earned over $1 billion in revenue and is the most successful celebrity licensing brand in history.

In 2006, she released her fifth studio album, A Public Affair and appeared in the romantic comedy film Employee of the Month.

With the release of her sixth studio album Do You Know (2008), she moved into the country music genre.

Simpson has sold 20 million albums worldwide.

She also starred in the reality television series The Price of Beauty in 2010 and judged clothing designs on two seasons of Fashion Star between 2012 and 2013.