Born into wealth and the American equivalent of aristocracy, Paris Hilton is an heir to her family's hotel chain. Growing up in New York and L.A., she gained fame in 2003 with a Fox reality show, The Simple Life. The show filmed Hilton and friend Nicole Richie as they tried to live on an Arkansas farm without the modern conveniences they were used to (credit cards, cell phones). It became a hit, and Hilton branched out into modeling, writing, movies, and music. Drawing inspiration from the lighthearted, summertime pop of Gwen Stefani and Ashlee Simpson, her album's first single, "Stars Are Blind," was released in the spring of 2006, followed by the full-length Paris in August. The album debuted inside the Top Ten.