2004 ‘SNL’ Lip Synching Fiasco Taught Her ‘Power of No’

It was the efficiency heard ’around the world. Or somewhat, not heard, however performed on tape. Almost 20 years after the second most-famous lip synch scandal in trendy pop historical past — shout out to Milli Vanilli — Ashlee Simpson dropped by the Broad Ideas with Rachel Bilson and Olivia Allen podcast this week to relive that second in 2004 when her Saturday Night Live debut become a car-crash viral second earlier than such issues even existed.

“I’ve never talked about or said, but it’s like the other thing is, learning as a woman, when you say no, or as an artist or a human or whatever, that day I said ‘I will not go on, I don’t care. I can’t speak,’” Simpson, 39, advised the hosts concerning the night time in Oct. 2004 when she was the musical visitor on SNL amid critical vocal points that induced her to lose her voice earlier than showtime.

After rehearsing the day earlier than, Simpson mentioned she awoke and realized she “couldn’t speak,” as a result of, her physician advised her, she had two nodules on her vocal cords that had been “beating against each other.” She defined her dilemma to the SNL group in a handwritten word, however regardless of telling producers the present couldn’t go on, Simpson mentioned she was requested to carry out to pre-recorded vocals. “My band has never practiced this, this is not going to go well,” she mentioned she thought on the time. “I can’t do this.”

Simpson, of course, did carry out that night time, first popping out to sing the one “Pieces of Me,” which went nicely. But when she got here again to play the title observe from her Autobiography album, somebody cued up the vocal observe from “Pieces” by mistake. Simpson busted out some stilted dance strikes and when she was caught with the mic by her aspect, she and the band seemed round confused for a number of awkward seconds whereas the singer did a foolish shuffle after which walked off stage because the group continued to play the instrumental observe and the present lower to business. Simpson got here again later for the closing credit and mentioned, “My band started playing the wrong song, and I didn’t know what to do, so I thought I’d do a hoedown. I’m sorry. This is live TV. These things happen!”

The mortifying second taught Simpson the “power of my no,” she advised the podcast hosts, in addition to “the power of me saying absolutely not… that’s what I would go back and say.” To make certain, Simpson mentioned it was a “humbling” incident for her at a time when she had a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart and a prime 5 single with “Pieces of Me.”

“It was like everything was about to go somewhere and then it was just like, whoa, the humility of not even understanding what grown-ass people would say about you… awful, awful things,” Simpson mentioned of the primary, and solely, time a musical visitor had walked off SNL throughout a efficiency. Through that trial-by-fire, although, Simpson mentioned she realized to tune all of the noise out and discover her energy and transfer on, whereas, fortunately, additionally avoiding throat surgical procedure because of a vocal coach who “saved my life.”

The clip went so viral on the time, although, that one of the buddies who was with Simpson that night time — and who joined her on the podcast — mentioned once they visited a New York deli the following day within the midst of the Iraq conflict “everyone around us was talking about it… it was so surreal and such a ginormous moment.” Though she launched two extra albums, 2005’s I Am Me and 2008’s Bittersweet World, and starred as Roxie Hart in three completely different productions of the musical Chicago in 2006, 2009 and 2013, Simpson’s musical profession by no means regained that preliminary peak following the SNL fiasco.

To this present day, Simpson mentioned individuals nonetheless ask her about it and she will be able to’t neglect the necessary lesson she realized that night time. “I think having to find at a young age that strength to be like, ‘I am good at this and I will keep going, and I will keep fighting,’” she mentioned, noting that she got here again to SNL a second time a 12 months later and she will be able to’t discover the video. “I’ve searched and searched for that performance. I was really nervous when I was on there and I can’t find it anywhere,” she mentioned.

Though she’s been off the music radar for years, the singer not too long ago advised US that she’s beginning to work on the re-release of her debut album and will fill it out with further tracks. “I’m going to celebrate that album,” she mentioned. “Maybe I’ll go in and redo some of the songs, but I’m definitely going to do a performance around the anniversary.”

Watch Simpson focus on her SNL incident under (starting at 45:00 mark).