Ashlee Nicole Simpson (born October 3, 1984) is an American pop rock singer– songwriter and an occasional actress. She is the younger sister of pop singer Jessica Simpson.
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 received widespread derision when she used a pre-recorded vocal track for a performance on Saturday Night Live in October 2004; Simpson said she needed a backing track because she was suffering from acid reflux, although some have questioned this. Following a North American concert tour and an unsuccessful film appearance, Simpson released a second number-one album, I Am Me, in late-2005.
Born and raised in the Dallas suburb of Richardson, Texas. Ashlee is the daughter of Joe Truett Simpson (a former Baptist youth minister who is now her manager) and Tina Ann Drew (a former Sunday School teacher who homeschooled Ashlee). 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 anorexia nervosa; the condition lasted about six months, and she dropped to about 70 pounds (at 5'2"). After her sister Jessica landed a record deal, the Simpson family decided to move to Los Angeles, California, where Ashlee began appearing in television commercials. When Jessica became a star after releasing her first album, Ashlee became one of her backup dancers. Later, she 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 on the family drama series 7th Heaven. In 2003, Simpson 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.