Originally from a small town in Waco, Texas, it wasn’t long until Ashlee Simpson found her true-calling as a performer. Her natural forte as a dancer became apparent at the early age of 4, and at 11, Simpson was the youngest student admitted into the esteemed School of American Ballet. After only a few years of training, she began dancing professionally and jumped at the opportunity to dance back-up for her sister while on tour. Traveling the world and living life on the road left Ashlee with no doubt that performing was in her blood, and watching her sister’s rise to fame inspired her to make smart decisions about the start of her own career.
Strategically deciding not to immediately jump into Jessica’s established domain of music, young Simpson looked to other outlets that would nurture her dreams of becoming an eminent performer. After moving West to LA with her family, Simpson found a niche for acting as she landed her first small-screen bit as a high-school student in the Emmy-award winning series, “Malcolm in the Middle” (2001). Soon after, the rising star was cast as a regular on the WB family drama “Seventh Heaven,” playing Cecilia Smith from 2002-2004. While gaining notable visibility on TV, Simpson soon found herself on the big-screen, as she landed a small part in the hit comedy “The Hot Chick” (2002) alongside well-known comedian Rob Schneider. With acting under her belt, Simpson made her move into music, as she recorded “Just Let Me Cry” for the soundtrack of the Disney feature, “Freaky Friday” (2003).
In late 2003, while older sister Jessica was enjoying new-found celebrity on her hit reality-show “Newlyweds” (MTV, 2003 - ), Ashlee had signed her first recording contract with Geffen Records and was creatively advised by her father and manager, Joe Simpson, to also have a show based on the making of her upcoming album, Autobiography (2004). Reluctant at first, young Simpson soon agreed to the idea, which proved to be a smart move, as “The Ashlee Simpson Show” (2004) enjoyed a huge following right from the start. With more than a month before the release of her record debut, Simpson’s first single “Pieces of Me,” which was written about then-boyfriend Ryan Cabrera who was featured on the series, was already experiencing heavy radio-play. The popular show not only put Ashlee in the spotlight, but also helped to differentiate the fiery, tom-boy rocker from her bubblegum pop, singing-sensations sister. “Autobiography” later hit stores in July 2004 and reached platinum, something even big sis Jessica had to date yet to accomplish.
Almost overnight, however, Simpson went from budding pop icon to national punch line. She made an appearance on “Saturday Night Live” (NBC, 1975- ) where she began lip-syncing to the wrong guided vocal track. Caught in the act and unsure what to do next, Simpson did a weird jig-like dance, then walked offstage as her band continued to play. But instead of owning up to her folly, Simpson blamed her band members in the press following the embarrassment. When her explanation failed to convince skeptics, Simpson’s iron-fisted manager-father, Joe, stepped in and blamed a bout of acid reflux that had damaged her vocal chords, a seemingly weak excuse that only fanned the flames of outrage (despite the fact that a "60 Minutes" segment filmed the week of Simpson's appearance showed the singer tearfully leaving the rehearsal stage when her voice was not performing up to snuff). Some pundits tried to stand up for her, claiming that many artists use guided vocal tracks, but most in the media blasted the inexperienced performer for her lack of professionalism . Things went from bad to worse when she performed a badly off-key version of “La La” at the Orange Bowl in January 2005. After subjecting 70,000 rabid beer-soaked football fans to her ear-splitting caterwauls, Simpson was treated to a hearty round of boos. None of her humiliations, however, affected album sales.
Though mostly laying low during 2005 after her debacles on “Saturday Night Live” and at the Orange Bowl, Simpson showed up on “American Top 40 Live” (Fox, 2005) and “The 2005 Teen Choice Awards” (Fox, 2005). Both appearances came and went without a hitch. She then had her first major role in a feature film with “Undiscovered” (2005), playing a young singer not unlike herself living in Los Angeles with a group of other wannabe singers looking to become famous. With all the negative reviews, “Undiscovered” was poised to become the next “Glitter.” However, the youngest Simpson sister rebounded somewhat with her return appearance to "Saturday Night Live" in October 2005 in which she demonstrated that she could, indeed, sing live and unsweetened when she performed two songs from her 2005 album I Am Me, "Help Me When I Fall" and "Beautifully Broken," both of which she wrote in response to the low period she experienced following the fiasco of her first "SNL" experience.