b. 3 October 1984, Dallas, Texas, USA. This pop starlet followed in the footsteps of her older sister Jessica Simpson, crashing into the US charts during summer 2004 with her debut album Autobiography. Simpson trained as a dancer and at the age of 11 was admitted to the School of American Ballet. Three years later she joined her sister on the road as a dancer, and remained with her during her rise to pop stardom in the early years of the new millennium. Ashlee launched her own career in 2000 with an appearance in an episode of the popular sitcom Malcolm In The Middle, following which she continued to work in television and in 2002 filmed a cameo in the Rob Schneider vehicle The Hot Chick. With Jessica Simpson a fixture in the US media owing to her hit MTV show Newlyweds, increasing attention began to be directed towards her younger sister. Ashlee signed a recording contract with Geffen Records and released Autobiography in July 2004. The album debuted at the top of the US charts in July, eclipsing the performance of her sister’s albums in the process. This was a result that, judging by the sibling rivalry detailed in the track ‘Shadow’, must have pleased Ashlee no end. The album returned to the top slot a month later and the singer also enjoyed a Top 5 hit with ‘Pieces Of Me’. Simpson attracted stinging criticism later in the year when she performed on Saturday Night Live using a pre-recorded vocal track, although she later claimed she had been advised not to sing live because of complications arising from acid reflux.
During summer 2004 Simpson launched her own MTV reality television series, The Ashlee Simpson Show. The show returned for a second series at the start of 2005, during which time Simpson completed a successful US tour. She also completed work on her second film, the independent release Undiscovered. Later in the year Simpson was back at the top of the US charts with her second album, I Am Me.
