Ashlee Simpson may have been newly tattooed, but she certainly wasn't tipsy during a radio interview this week.
Responding to wildfire rumors that she had been drinking before an appearance on Washington, D.C., station Hot 99.5's Kane in the Morning show on Tuesday, the frequently on-the-defensive singer wrote on her MySpace blog that she takes her work "very seriously and would never disrespect anyone and come into an interview that way."
Listeners apparently got the wrong idea because Simpson spent a lot of her on-air time giggling and refused to answer a number of the questions directed her way, including inquiries about her family and love life. At one point, she seemingly forgot the lyrics to her new tune "Little Miss Obsessive."
"Uh, the best line in the song is, uh...you know...the, the, uh, 'come over' line," she told deejay Kane (who commented on air, after the interview, that she sounded drunk), presumably referring to part of the chorus, which goes: And I guess we're really over, so come over, I'm not over it.
Her rep issued a statement later that day to explain why the 23-year-old pop star wasn't in top form:
"Ashlee was absolutely not intoxicated this morning on Hot 99.5. She has been working extremely hard traveling across the country to promote her upcoming new album by performing at night and waking up very early the next day to do radio interviews in the morning—like any of us would be—she was simply just tired."
Simpson, who has been called out before for being vocally challenged, chalked her poor showing up to nerves and the uncomfortable vibe she got from the studio staff.
"It is my belief that they automatically assumed that because I got a tattoo I must have drank that night," she wrote, referring to the brand-new red rose she had a friend ink onto her left wrist Monday evening at her hotel.
"When I walked into the radio station I was thrown into the interview," Simpson continued. "They didn't even introduce themselves to me before starting it, and just put me on the air. I felt bad energy and like I was about to be attacked as soon as I sat down. I felt uncomfortable…
"If you listen to other interviews I've done, you'd know I giggle a lot. Not only because I am a happy person & everyone who knows me knows I laugh all day long, but also I giggle when people ask me uncomfrotable [sic] questions, not knowing what else to say or what else to do. Questions & false rumors about my dad being a jerk, being pregnant, being engaged, etc are not fun to answer every single day. Eventually I try to just laugh them off and hope they start asking me important questions about my album and music which is why I am there."
Simpson's third studio album, the now aptly named Bittersweet World, is due out Apr. 22.
"Five minutes after the interview was over I heard the dj that interviewed me say on the air that I was drunk," she wrote. "That really upset me especially after how uncomfortable they made me feel."
Another interview she did 20 minutes later for XM Satellite Radio went perfectly fine, she added. "They treated with me respect and were thankful for me showing up so early in the morning."
But overall, she's learned an important lesson, Simpson says.
"Throughout my career, I have learned that you must speak up for yourself and when people try to put you down. That is why I am writing this today. I'm tired of people making things up about others. Again, this is for my fans. You are what is important to me.
"All my love, Ashlee xx," she signed off.