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On her sterling new Columbia Records
collection, Irresistible, Jessica Simpson delivers an important message:
She's a young woman now. The pop ingénue who made waves in 1999 with her
powerhouse debut, Sweet Kisses, says that she's done quite a bit of
growing up over the past three years--and it's vividly illustrated in her
music.
"I was 17 when I recorded Sweet Kisses, and now I'm 21. I'm so proud of
what I've accomplished so far," she notes, reflecting a track record that
includes the smash hits "I Wanna Love You Forever," "Where You Are," and
"I Think I'm In Love With You." "But that period between albums provided a
lot of emotional and spiritual discovery for me. During that time, I also
got in close touch with who I want to be as an artist. You can hear that
on this new album.
"Collaborating with a stellar cast of performers, producers, and writers
including Columbia labelmate Marc Anthony, Nick Lachey of 98°, Walter
Afanasieff (Celine Dion), and Cory Rooney (Jennifer Lopez). Irresistible
shows Jessica boldly travelling down several fresh new musical avenues. In
addition to offering more of the lush, passionate ballads that have become
her signature, she has effectively expanded her creative palette to
include ebullient rhythm-pop and sultry R&B--gliding through a collection
of funk-fortified grooves and sophisticated contemporary ballads with the
finesse and confidence of a seasoned performer.
"That's what I really wanted to come across on these songs... confidence,"
Jessica notes. "I wanted to show that with that inner strength and inner
light, nothing is impossible.
"The singer is also out to prove that confidence can be sexy. Case in
point, the album's title cut and first single, a percussive shuffler that
smolders without stepping over the line of what Jessica deems as good
taste. "You have to have boundaries," she asserts. "I'm trying to give an
image of a young confident woman on that song, as well as on the rest of
the album."
That confidence shines through on "A Little Bit," the second single from
Irresistible, which finds Jessica boldly declaring her love and her needs
while underscoring the fact that she will not be taken for granted and
will settle for nothing less than mutual understanding when conflict
arises. "We can work it out together," she sings. "A little less talk, a
little more do, a little more me, a little less you, baby, at the end of
the day, a little bit goes a long way.
"Though some might find her style provocative, Jessica's allure goes
beyond the physical. "That's not what's sexy about me," she adds with a
smile. "I believe that my soul and my faith are what's sexy about me. It's
all about what's inside."
That said, Jessica admits that she does occasionally enjoy flexing a
little external heat... even if it's completely innocent. "There's a cut
on the album, 'Hot Like Fire,' that I think will take people by surprise,"
she says of the self-assured hip-hop-flavored cut produced by Cory Rooney.
"It's a hardcore 'attitude' song. You might not even recognize my voice at
first. It's totally raw and intense. It's a shake-your-hips kind of song.
I love it."
While the young artist enjoyed the process of experimentation while
recording Irresistible, she was equally pleased to perform stately ballads
like "To Fall In Love Again" and "There You Were," on which she duets with
Marc Anthony. Jessica says cutting the latter tune was "an experience
unlike any other."
"His voice is amazing, but the best thing about him is his passion," she
beams, remembering the day they met in the studio. "He sat me down and
said, 'For the next six hours, I'm going to be in love with you. I work on
my songs like movie scripts.' And from there, he made up a complete
relationship between our two characters."As a result, Jessica believes
that "you can feel the love in the song. The connection we had in the
studio was incredible."
However, the song on Irresistible that most reflects Jessica's true spirit
is "His Eye Is On The Sparrow," a gospel standard that she has been
singing since she was a young girl in church.
"My relationship with God is the most intimate in my life, and it always
will be," she shares. "I wanted to give my fans something special about
that."
Recording that song was a trip back to Jessica's roots, as she began her
career as a gospel singer. "It's taken me to where I am today," the Dallas
native says, recalling that one of her gospel performances first drew the
attention of Columbia Records. "And it's the music that means the most to
me--particularly 'His Eye Is On The Sparrow.' It's about all of the
discouragement in life, and how none of it is very important in the grand
scheme of things because we are all ultimately free and capable of being
happy. I know that's true for me. I sing because I'm happy. And I sing
because I'm free. I want to share that with my fans."
And Jessica's relationship with her fans is of tremendous importance to
her. "They keep me going. They inspire me. I do all I can to keep in close
touch with the fans who support my music--whether it be via my shows or on
the Internet. The energy I get from them is extraordinary."
That energy is just as vital to Jessica as the support she derives from
her friends and family. "You have to have a support team around you. My
best friends are on the road with me, and I hold my family close to me. If
you don't surround yourself with good people, then you have nothing to
artistselop character from."
In the end, it's the strength of character that is propelling Jessica
Simpson to immeasurable pop music heights. She's more than merely
Irresistible... she's unstoppable. |
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"I'd go to concerts and think,
'That's exactly what I want to do.'"
"I wanted to give up, but my family kept me going." - about losing a
spot on "MMC" (1989) to Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.
"I want people to fall in love with my voice before my image."
"I'm right there ready to explode... or I could go pfffffft. No one
could ever hear from me again." - about how successful her future
album may be.
"I have this fear of talking to people. I'm worried they won't like
me. I've always had that insecurity. I tried to go up to Céline Dion
at the Billboard Awards last year. She was right there, but I
couldn't do it". - CosmoGIRL, February 2001
"After 9-11, I knew that I never ever wanted to be away from Nick
ever for the rest of my life."
"Dumb is just not knowing. Ditzy is having the courage to ask! Ditzy
is not editing yourself."
"Faith has helped me to be a strong person and stay level headed. It
brings me peace. In this business you definitely need peace."
"I want to be a diva... like people-totally-respect-my-music diva,
not diva like carry-my-diet-Coke-around."
"Natural beauty is really happiness with who you are. It you like
who you are on the inside, that'll come through on the outside."
"Everybody from my record label to my father as my manager was like,
'Don't get married.' But when I got married my career began."
"Nick and I have gotten a lot of attention for doing a 'reality'
show on television, but the ability to give a child his or her smile
back is the kind of reality that really deserves the attention. We
are both so happy to play a small part in the wonderful work
Operation Smile does for children." - on Operation Smile.
"I think that freshness and that innocence is something that is
missing from a lot of female singers. I'm certainly not denying that
I'm young, but I'm not fluff."
"I'm such a sucker for sappy songs. I'm a big romantic, and I love
love. I love singing about it and listening to songs about it"
On her dog Daisy: "She goes with me everywhere. It's preparing me to
be a mother, I think."
"My mom was really worried I'd grow up looking strange, so every
night before I went to bed, she'd pull my legs and stretch them so
they'd be in proportion with the rest of my body."
"I don't really care what I'm famous for. As long as I get to do the
movie roles I want to do and still make records."
"I don't want people walking out of a movie thinking I was trying to
act or be some movie star. I want them to think, 'That might make me
like Jessica a little bit more.'"
"You've done a nice job decorating the White House". Introducing
herself to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton in December
2004.
"Nobody deserves to be treated like a princess 100 percent of the
time - not even me!"
"My first kiss was when I was 14. I could tell it was coming because
Jason picked up a handful of mints. We had been going out for over a
year, so it was really special."
On plastic surgery: "I'm not against plastic surgery. I do believe
that it becomes an addiction to people. But if you're doing it for
yourself, then you're doing it for yourself. If you're doing it to
make heads turn when you walk down the street and get noticed, then
I think that's a bunch of BS."
"Why go through your life with regrets? Every decision you make
determines who you are. If you make a bad one, you fix it. It makes
you stronger."
"I had doors slammed in my face as a 14-year-old because my boobs
were too big." on the perils of being a curvaceous Christian pop
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