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Music Career
Listen to Jessica Simpson's In This Skin,
and you will hear many things: Love. Romance. Sexuality. Sweetness.
Maturity. Peace of Mind. Yet chief among the things you will hear is the
sound of a woman becoming her own person and staying true to her heart.
Cowritten by Jessica -- with contributions from Fran Gold, Damon Elliott
and Trina Harmon, and production by Ric Wake and Rob Fusari, In This
Skin shines a light on a side of Jessica that she's never had the
opportunity to let free. "I've been searching my soul for things I
wanted to sing about and things I wanted to say and so I came up with
this record, "Jessica explains. "When people listen to this
record it will make them happy."
That's because the songs on In This Skin reflect the happiness and
growth that Jessica has been experiencing. Now married to long time beau
Nick Lachey (of 98 Degrees) and firmly in control of her life and
creative output, Jessica has reached deep inside to come up with an
album that may well be most personal of her career. In This Skin might
be Jessica's third collection but, in terms of emotional honesty and
stylistic range, it is, in a real sense, the first album that's truly
her own. That's because In This Skin marks Jessica's debut as a
songwriter and her lyrical and musical influences fuel the album's
thematic journeys. "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.
"
That sense of liberation is abundant on the album's first single
"Sweetest Sin." Written by hit maker Diane Warren and produced
by Ric Wake, "Sweetest Sin" is unabashedly carnal and, as
Jessica notes, a marked change from the giddy teen pop that launched her
career. "I'm not dancing around this time," she laughs.
"I'm not wearing that head set mic ever again in my life!"
A celebration of love, her marriage, and making love, "Sweetest
Sin" signals a new artistic direction for Jessica. "You'll
definitely know I'm a woman after hearing this song," she offers.
"It's a deeply sensual song but it's also romantic and recording it
was one of the most natural things I've done. It's so great to be able
to sing about things you're going through because it makes you relate
even more to the music which makes that music beautiful."
In This Skin is filled with both beauty and love, with lyrics drawn from
personal experiences and journal entries to create an album resonating
with a captivating reality. Just listen to the bittersweet ballad
"You Don't Have To Let Go." "I wrote that song for my
dad," Jessica says. "It was so hard for him to walk me down
the aisle and for him to handle the idea that I was getting married and,
in his eyes, leaving. So I wrote this song for him about our
relationship and all that he sacrificed for me."
"Underneath," an emotional ode to the ups and downs of
romantic love, was penned during a turbulent period in Nick and
Jessica's relationship when the pair embarked an ill-fated separation.
Jessica cites the love and support of her fans as the motivation behind
the album's title track's message of determination. Set to a gentle
acoustic-laced groove "In This Skin" is, according to Jessica,
about "...being comfortable in your own skin, being worthy and
feeling beautiful. I wrote in the liner notes that this is for all the
fans. I want them to listen to the song and let the lyrics serve as an
inspiration."
Inspiration and spirit have always been crucial to Jessica. From the
beginning of her career she has aimed to be more than just some cutie
pie teen star: she's always invested her songs with positive outlooks
and lived her life in a manner that stays true to her beliefs.
Jessica Simpson first made her mark in the world of contemporary
Christian music. Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Jessica was sharing
bills with gospel great Kirk Franklin and Ce Ce Winans while still in
junior high. Word of the then-teen's phenomenal voice and stage presence
soon filtered out of the Christian circuit and, in the late 90's,
Jessica signed with Columbia Records. Sweet Kisses, her major label
debut, was released in 1999 and spawned the smash singles "I Wanna
Love You Forever," "I Think I'm In Love," and "Where
You Are." Following the release of her debut, Jessica hit the road,
wowing audiences worldwide with her soaring emotion-packed vocals and
high-energy stage presence. "It was an amazing time for me,"
Jessica recalls. "I was 17 and seeing the world, doing what I loved
and doing it in a way that felt right."
The title track to Irresistible, her 2001 follow-up, was a crossover
smash, charting on the Hot 100 (#15), the Rhythmic Top 40 (#12), Top 40
Mainstream (#3) and Top 40 Tracks (#5).
Since the release of Irresistible, Jessica's been working on her acting
rיsumי. In addition to her recurring role on "That 70's
Show," Jessica can be seen in an episode of UPN's "The
Twilight Zone." Meanwhile, Jessica and new husband Nick Lachey will
share their lives with fans in an upcoming reality TV series on MTV.
But music remained one of Jessica's truest loves and, when it came time
to make In This Skin, she was ready for this vital next stage in her
career. "I knew the sort of songs I wanted to sing and write,"
she says. "Songs that are uplifting and real." With her new
album, Jessica Simpson comes into her own as a woman and refines her
ever-evolving voice as an artist. Collaborating with a crop of
up-and-coming writers and producers, Jessica has created an album that
sounds fresh and rings absolutely true. Her message? "It's about
love and confidence and loving where I am in my life."
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