the ballad of jessica simpson

next
ART | MUSIC | TV | FILM
WAYNE MASER.
EDITOR:
ELIO IANNACCI
POP STAR. REALITY TV STAR. TABLOID STAR.
Country music star? Although Jessica Simpson’s
celebrity wattage has gone through its share of
phases, flares and flops and a lot of people would
expect her to appear on TMZ over CMT these
days, Simpson—bless her Texan heart—is doing
her damnedest to make her move to torch-andtwang work. Over the phone from Santa Monica,
minutes before facing a crowded press conference
for Do You Know—her first disc of full-on country
music—the 28-year-old explains why she ran away
from Hollywood and ended up in Nashville.
“It was hard for me to understand myself [in pop]
because I had so many different opinions and so
many different people telling me who I am. I was
second-guessing myself,” says Simpson. “Now, I feel
like I have my own voice. I’m a 28-year-old woman
and the last time I talked to people I was 24. A lot
happens in four years. I learn from my mistakes. So
if people say I need to conform to what they feel
will make me successful, I tell them to kiss my butt.”
If you think Simpson sounds like she’s been taking a lesson or two from hard-done-by divas such
as Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn, you’re right.
Her love of the critically acclaimed yet heavily
criticized grande dames of country is perhaps
due to a few similarities between all their lives.
For example, the public scorned Wynette, who
was married five times and had a controversial hit
called “D-I-V-O-R-C-E.” She had her own version
of Nick Lachey/John Mayer/Tony Romo tab drama
going on back in the day. It also makes sense
Simpson’s No. 1 hero is Dolly Parton, another
country gal who has endured a great deal of
media shredding via heaps of dumb-blond jokes.
“Dolly’s career is one I look up to,” says
Simpson, pointing out that the title track of her
new album—which features Parton—is her
favourite song. “She comes from a humble place
and she’s a prolific songwriter. She always keeps
it personal but doesn’t go over the top.”
Not that Simpson
doesn’t mind a little bit
of OTT now and again.
She might be trading in
her red-carpet designs
for a pair of cutoff jean
shorts while touring
casinos and county >
A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY AND
A LITTLE BIT ROCKY ROAD
THE BALLAD OF
JESSICA SIMPSON
107
FLR11_107-108,110.indd 107
09/17/2008 10:05:11 PM