In an industry where entertainers sometimes go to extremes to grab the spotlight, Jessica’s warm spirit and seeming cluelessness has helped her light to shine even brighter. Her naïveté on the highly-rated MTV reality show Newlyweds, which follows her and Nick’s first year of marriage and beyond, has proven to be her biggest break yet. While Jessica, who began her career as a gospel singer, has been called everything from dimwit to dumb blonde for asking her husband if Mermaid’s Chicken of the Sea was chicken or fish, her gaffes have been just the thing that has helped propel her career to new heights.

ABC caught hold of her infectious sense of humor and signed her to star in a sitcom in the fall of 2004. The 23-year-old starlet will also film a variety special for ABC with her hunky hubby this spring. If that’s not enough, Jessica has launched her own cosmetics and fragrance line, Dessert, which will be available at Sephora cosmetic stores across the nation in April. The “lickable” line features everything from body cream, body gloss and powdered sugar body shimmer to lip fragrance. Jessica also penned a book, I Do: Achieving Your Dream Wedding, offering tips on how to have a memorable wedding on a modest budget.

With more endorsement deals in the works, Jessica is finding that good things do come to those who wait. Indeed, as a youth minister’s daughter growing up in Dallas, Jessica not only waited for the right time to find fame but also the right time to commit to a man. She remained chaste until marriage.

Singing contemporary gospel tunes at Christian youth conferences across the nation while her father ministered, Jessica steered clear of peer pressure, stayed committed to her cause and became a teen role model. She performed for audiences of 20,000 plus and later found herself on the same bill with gospel phenoms Kirk Franklin and CeCe Winans. The magic wand in her singing career was waved when Tommy Mottola, Sony Record’s CEO and chairman, discovered her melodious voice and signed her to a record deal.

With three CDs to her credit, Jessica’s latest project, “In This Skin,” reflects her transition from a hopeful romantic to a woman who has come into her own. The CD takes listeners on Jessica’s expressive journey of growth, with a message of faith, love and romance. In her bio she says that her single “Sweetest Sin,” about the intimacies of matrimony, was one of the most natural things she’s done. “You’ll definitely know I’m a woman after hearing this song,” she notes.

Being in charge of your
creative destiny
is beautiful for any artist

Although Jessica had little creative input in her past projects, “In This Skin” showcases her talents as a versatile writer. “I’ve wanted artistic control for a long time but in the past I wasn’t able to get it,” she confesses. “Being in charge of your creative destiny is beautiful for any artist, especially someone like me who wants to sing about positive things and to inspire others. This time I really wanted to make an album that was real and organic and that you could listen to all the way through and maybe be inspired to fall in love or follow your dreams.”

  Always one to dream big, Jessica is an accomplished entertainer who has proven to America (and the world) that being a know-it-all may not be as important as knowing when to take advantage of the moment. She works hard at what she does but hasn’t tried to change who and what she is just to fit in with the Hollywood crowd. With all of her recent success, there is no doubt that Jessica Simpson is quite comfortable in her own skin.

From the Spring 2004 issue.

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