Dance-pop singer Jessica Simpson was born and raised in Dallas, TX, beginning her performing career as a member of her church choir; at 12, she also auditioned unsuccessfully for #The Mickey Mouse Club. While attending church camp the following summer, Simpson was discovered by the head of a tiny CCM label and spent the next three years recording her debut album. The label, however, folded before the record could be released, although a small pressing was eventually funded by her grandmother. Nevertheless, the teen became a hit on the Christian Youth Conference circuit, also sharing bills with Kirk Franklin, God's Property, and CeCe Winans.