Sweet innocence

Jessica Simpson's a breath of fresh air

Jessica Simpson's debut album of pop, R&B and gospel is called Sweet Kisses.

 And, not to be crass about it, but that's about all her famous boyfriend, Nick Lachey of boy band 98 Degrees, can expect.

 "I speak out about abstinence," said the striking 19-year-old singer, in Toronto yesterday on a promotional visit.

 "That's just something that makes me happy and it's something I choose to do and something I dream about giving my husband on my wedding night.

 "And in this industry, it's hard to stand your ground because a lot of people are like, 'Yeah, right, whatever. She's just saying that 'cause she's trying to be a positive role model,' " continued Simpson.

 "But it's very, very important to me."

 So important, in fact, that Simpson wrote a song, Heart Of Innocence, included on Sweet Kisses, that sprang from writings in her journal to her future mate.

 "Ever since I was eight years old I've been writing letters to my husband," she said. "It's like, 'Dear Prince Charming ...' It's pretty cool because I've developed a relationship with him to where it makes it easier to not overstep my bounds."

 The good news is that Simpson pretty much feels she has found her husband in Lachey, who joins his girlfriend on the Sweet Kisses duet Where You Are.

 'I really thank God'

 "I hope so. I think so. We talk about it all the time. I really thank God for it because He's given me him (Lachey) early in my life.

 "But I needed that because there are so many guys out there who want to take advantage of you and who don't respect you. And just immediately, when Nick and I met, he respected everything about me. He embraced everything I stood firm on."

 Including the abstinence, apparently.

 "It is a big one," she agreed. "He would even tell you -- that's one of the things he loves most about me."

 Sweet Kisses , meanwhile, has sold 50,000 copies in Canada and 500,000 in the U.S. since its Oct. 5 release. That's due to the strength of its first single, I Wanna Love You Forever.

 For Simpson, it has meant a hectic tour schedule that saw her open for both 98* and Ricky Martin.

 All that touring took a physical toll, although she now has a personal trainer and a nutritionist on the road with her.

 "I probably had two weeks off last year," she said. "I was in the hospital three times. The last time was right before Christmas, and I actually had to cancel my last Ricky Martin shows and all my radio shows because I almost had kidney failure. I was so exhausted.

 "The first two times I had a cyst the size of a volleyball on my Fallopian tube -- they emptied like two and a half litres out -- so they had to go in and surgically remove that. But then I was on the road three days later."

 Signed with Sony

 Simpson wound up on the Martin tour with the support of Sony CEO Tommy Mottola, who signed the teen in 1997 after she sang an a cappella version of Amazing Grace in his office.

  She began singing in the Baptist church in Dallas where her psychologist father, now co-manager, was also a minister.

 Simpson expects to be back in Toronto by the summer as part of a new festival tour.

 "It's a young divas tour, kind of like the Lilith Fair but for younger girls. It's going to be me and Christina Aguilera and some others. We haven't put a name to it yet."

 When she was just 12 years old, Simpson found herself alongside fellow teen pop divas Aguilera and Britney Spears during Mickey Mouse Club auditions.

 Simpson didn't make it into the club, but boy, is she making up for it now. The youth-oriented WB is developing a weekly series for her and she's debating major roles in four feature films. All this and music, too?

 "I'll just be a really, really, busy girl," she said with a laugh.