Ashlee Simpson

Ashlee Simpson, born Ashley Nicolle Simpson on October 3, 1984, in Waco, Texas, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. She is the younger sister of singer and actress Jessica Simpson. Both sisters attended Prairie Creek Elementary and North Junior High in Richardson, Texas, where the family was based before relocating to Los Angeles in 1999. Simpson began studying classical ballet at age three and enrolled at the School of American Ballet in New York City at eleven, becoming the youngest person ever admitted to the school, which had a minimum age requirement of twelve. Her father, Joe Simpson, who also served as her agent, admitted to misrepresenting her age during the application process. During her time at the school, Simpson experienced an unnamed eating disorder for approximately six months, after which she received treatment from her parents.

Simpson's early career began in television commercials while her sister Jessica launched a music career. Following the commercial success of Jessica's debut album Sweet Kisses in 1999, Simpson became one of her backup dancers on tour. She made a minor guest appearance on Malcolm in the Middle before taking a small role as Monique in the 2002 Rob Schneider comedy film The Hot Chick. That same year, she joined the seventh season of the family drama 7th Heaven as Cecilia Smith, a role she continued through the eighth season, appearing in a total of forty episodes. Also in 2002, she recorded the song "Christmas Past, Present, and Future" for the holiday album School's Out! Christmas, which was later re-released on Radio Disney Jingle Jams. She subsequently recorded "Just Let Me Cry" for the soundtrack to the 2003 film Freaky Friday, and within a month of that soundtrack's release, it was confirmed she had signed with Geffen Records.

Simpson's public profile grew considerably through her appearances on the MTV reality series Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, which aired between 2003 and 2005 and focused on her sister Jessica and Jessica's then-husband Nick Lachey. She also served as a VJ on TRL on MTV during the summer of 2003. The visibility generated by Newlyweds led to Simpson receiving her own MTV spin-off, The Ashlee Simpson Show, which broadcast between 2004 and 2005 and documented the recording of her debut album. During this period, she also appeared in the music video for Ryan Cabrera's debut single "On the Way Down" in 2004, and the two subsequently began a romantic relationship, with Cabrera inspiring multiple songs on her album.

Her debut album, Autobiography, was produced by John Shanks, with Simpson co-writing all of its tracks. She also collaborated with songwriter Kara DioGuardi, who received credits on seven of the album's songs. Released on July 20, 2004, Autobiography debuted at the top of the Billboard 200, selling an estimated 398,000 copies in its first week and becoming the highest-selling debut album by a female artist that year. It went on to sell over five million copies worldwide. The album's lead single, "Pieces of Me," reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Mainstream Top 40 chart based on radio airplay, earning a gold certification from the RIAA. On October 23, 2004, Simpson appeared as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live to promote the album. Citing vocal cord inflammation caused by acid reflux, she used a pre-recorded vocal track during her performances that evening, an incident that generated significant media attention.

Simpson's second studio album, I Am Me, was released in 2005 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making it her second consecutive album to reach that position. The album received a platinum certification from the RIAA. That same year, she took a leading role in the film Undiscovered, which performed poorly both critically and commercially. Her third studio album, Bittersweet World, released in 2008, departed from the pop-rock sound of her earlier work in favor of a dance-pop and 1980s-influenced style. It reached number four on the Billboard 200 and was received positively by critics, though it saw a decline in sales compared to her previous releases. In 2009, Simpson joined the main cast of the revamped television series Melrose Place, which received harsh critical reception.

Simpson's connection to the musical Chicago spans multiple productions. She first played Roxie Hart in the West End production of Chicago, and following that engagement, she announced she had begun work on a third studio album. Later in 2009, she made her Broadway debut reprising the role of Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway, the production in which she is credited as a Broadway performer. In July 2013, she reprised the role for a third time in a two-date special production at the Hollywood Bowl, directed by Brooke Shields.

In 2012, Simpson independently released the single "Bat for a Heart," which did not achieve commercial success, and she subsequently shelved plans for a fourth studio album. In October 2018, Simpson and her husband Evan Ross released a debut extended play as Ashlee + Evan through Access Records, supported by a North American tour and an accompanying television reality series also titled Ashlee + Evan.