Jessica Simpson
Early life and beginning
"Simpson was born in Abilene, Texas and raised in Richardson, a suburb of Dallas, Texas.
She is the daughter of Joe Truett Simpson (a former Baptist youth minister) and Tina
Ann Drew (a former Sunday School teacher). Simpson started singing at the age of twelve
as a part of her Baptist church choir. At the same age, she made an unsuccessful
application for The New Mickey Mouse Club, which starred fellow pop singers Christina
Aguilera, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, among other future stars.
Simpson attended J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson, Texas. She was discovered singing
at a church camp by a head of a small contemporary Christian record label and recorded an
album over the next three years; however, the label folded before the record could be
released. She dropped out in her senior year in order to tour and promote her demo album,
which was funded by her grandmother, Joyce (thus the reason for the name of her 2004
holiday album, Rejoyce: The Christmas Album); she later earned her GED. During this
time, she toured with the Christian Youth Conference circuit performing with Kirk
Franklin, God's Property and CeCe Winans. She and her father sold copies of the album
after her performances.
Tommy Mottola of Columbia Records obtained a copy of the album and, thinking she had
potential as a pop singer, signed her as such. Christian influences can still be found
in much of her music."
Christian influences are you kidding me? Well, see for yourself.
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