Jessica Simpson celebrates emotional milestone after suffering ‘deepest heartbreak of my life'
The singer, actor and designer – who sold two million copies of her debut album, Sweet Kisses, when she was 19 – has not performed live since 2010, the year she released her most recent album, the holiday collection Happy Christmas.
However, Simpson, 44, seemed thrilled as she delivered a lively set on Wednesday 12 March at the Recording Academy's Austin Chapter Block Party during SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.
She debuted four new songs, including 'Use My Heart Against Me' and 'Leave', possibly inspired by her separation from husband Eric Johnson, with whom she shares three children, in January.
She also sang covers of 'Son of a Preacher Man' and 'These Boots are Made for Walking', Rolling Stone reported, the latter of which featured in the soundtrack to her 2005 film The Dukes of Hazzard.
Later, she observed the significance of the moment in a message to her followers on social media.
'Last night was my first performance in 15 years,' she wrote in an Instagram post, along with several clips of her performance.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Jessica Simpson (@jessicasimpson)
'It was an emotional coming back home to the best part of myself. Thank you for embracing me. You know that I have so much to say, but this lucky voice gets to soar again tonight. I love y'all. More to come…'
Simpson kicked off her music comeback last week with the official release of 'Leave' from her forthcoming EP, Nashville Canyon: Part 1, followed by 'Use My Heart Against Me'.
'Leave' describes a relationship that has grown cold after an apparent betrayal: 'What we had was magic/ Now you've made it tragic/ Giving her what you gave to me/ Now the well that you drank from is empty.'
In a YouTube video about the making of the song, Simpson said it was one of the most difficult songs for her to write but she 'needed to get it out'.
In an interview with The Cut last month, Simpson told her sister Ashlee Simpson that she had been through 'the deepest heartbreak of [her] life'.
The 44-year-old actor confirmed that she and the former NFL player have broken up in a statement shared on Monday 13 January, explaining that amid the challenges of their separation, she and her ex are focused on their children: Maxwell, 12, Ace, 11, and Birdie, five.
'Eric and I have been living separately navigating a painful situation in our marriage,' she told People. 'Our children come first, and we are focusing on what is best for them. We are grateful for all of the love and support that has been coming our way, and appreciate privacy right now as we work through this as a family.'
Simpson sparked speculation in November that she was getting divorced with a cryptic post on social media, as she wrote: 'Interviews in my Nashville music room where I unearthed my singular magic.
'This comeback is personal, it's an apology to myself for putting up with everything I did not deserve.'
Nashville Canyon: Part 1 is scheduled for release on 21 March.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Danity Kane's D. Woods fears Diddy's 'retaliation' as his trial nears end
D. Woods "can't wait" to put her negative experiences with Sean "Diddy" Combs, the man responsible for launching her career as part of Danity Kane, in the rearview mirror. The 41-year-old singer, born Wanita Denise Woodgett, opened up to The Cut in an interview published July 1 about how she is "using my art to process my experience" through a one-woman show, "My Living Room Self." "I can't wait until I am on the other side of all this. Maybe this is what I need to do to write a new experience. I just don't want to be in fear of his retaliation," Woods said. "We're talking in this hotel instead of my home because I don't know what he's capable of." She added that she hasn't been following Combs' trial, which is in jury deliberations as of June 30, because "I don't want to be disappointed." Woods also noted that "I'm not sure a guilty verdict will heal me. "That will happen when I sit down to talk about a project I'm doing, and there isn't a question about Puff," she added. 'Really stomach-turning': Danity Kane's Aubrey O'Day and D. Woods chat about Diddy trial D. Woods 'wasn't surprised' by Dawn Richard, Cassie's lawsuits against Diddy Though Woods came forward to accuse Combs of verbal abuse in the Investigation Discovery docuseries "The Fall of Diddy," she hasn't filed a lawsuit. Her former girl group colleague Dawn Richard is the only one to have sued Combs, alleging sexual assault, trafficking and labor violations, among other claims. Richard also testified against Combs in May, as his trial was underway. "I was surprised she spoke out, but I wasn't surprised to hear the allegations," Woods said of Richard's lawsuit. She also went on to comment on Cassie Ventura Fine's bombshell 2023 lawsuit that kicked off the criminal investigation into Combs' alleged criminal enterprise. "Even with Cassie, I wasn't surprised. I believe he's capable of that," she said. "I've seen how he's intimidated a room. I've seen him throw chairs at people." Woods added, "When that news came out about Cassie's lawsuit, I was like, 'I've been trying to tell y'all, but you didn't want to believe me.' Now, maybe my experience can be accepted." D. Woods contemplated suicide after Diddy fired her from Danity Kane Woods' alleged experiences with Combs during MTV's "Making the Band" included the mogul body-shaming her and screaming threats over the phone after her bandmates turned down a performance. She tearfully told The Cut about feeling suicidal and struggling to make music after Combs fired her and Aubrey O'Day in 2008, in what she's previously described as an act of retaliation. "By 2012, I was suicidal. By 2017, I had planned it out," Woods said. "I still have some of my suicide notes. I want to remember exactly what I was thinking and feeling. One of my letters was something like, 'It seems no matter what I give, nobody's interested. They just want Danity Kane or they've written me off. I'm a has-been. I'm a one-hit wonder.'" Speaking about her career in more current terms, Woods said, "I've done so much more since Danity Kane that should be celebrated and recognized. I was recently on tour with Teddy Riley, and people say, 'You're just a backup dancer now.' "I was having the time of my life. But in some people's mind, Danity Kane is the best thing that I'm ever going to do." If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call or text 988, or start an online chat with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which provides free and confidential services 24/7.
New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
Meet Dayana Yastremska, the Ukrainian beauty who shocked Coco Gauff at Wimbledon
Dayana Yastremska made headlines Tuesday by completing one of the biggest upsets at Wimbledon with her first-round victory in straight sets over No. 2 seed Coco Gauff. But the unseeded Ukrainian tennis player isn't a complete unknown. The 25-year-old is ranked No. 42 in the world and has three WTA singles titles to her name, while having her best finish in a major at the 2024 Australian Open when she reached the semifinals. Advertisement 6 Dayana Yastremska celebrates after match point against Coco Gauff on Day 2 of Wimbledon. Geoff Burke-Imagn Images 6 Tennis star Dayana Yastremska, who upset Coco Gauff at Wimbledon. Dayana Yastremska /Instagram But Tuesday's victory was by far the biggest of her career and is sure to add an extra buzz around Yastremska. Advertisement Yastremska already has an interesting backstory due to her apparent allergy to grass — the same surface she's playing on at Wimbledon. Yastremska, who celebrated her 25th birthday in May, detailed her allergy after she reached the final at the Nottingham Open earlier this month, saying at the time that 'I really love playing on grass, even though I think I have a bit of an allergy to grass!' 6 Tennis star Dayana Yastremska, who upset Coco Gauff at Wimbledon. Dayana Yastremska /Instagram She already had quite the following on social media with 217,000 followers on Instagram, where she's posted content around her tennis career and stylish shots from parties and modeling. Advertisement 'I like modeling, I like fashion, I like philosophy, and I like many things to do,' she's quoted as saying in a 2024 article. 'But I don't have much time for it.' And her talents extend beyond the court as Yastremska showed off her singing chops during the COVID-19 pandemic and released two singles during the summer of 2020 titled 'Thousands of Me' and 'Favourite Track.' 6 Tennis star Dayana Yastremska, who upset Coco Gauff at Wimbledon. Dayana Yastremska /Instagram Advertisement 'I do not strive to become a cool artist,' she wrote in a post on Instagram in 2020. 'I just like to sing, I like this whole atmosphere. It's much easier for me on the tennis court, than being in the studio, standing near the microphone, and singing, it's such a stress for me!' Yastremska paused her musical ambitions in 2021 during a provisional doping ban following a positive test for a prohibited substance, but she was cleared six months later after an independent tribunal ruled that the positive result was due to contamination of the test sample. She was also forced to flee her home in February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine, revealing in a social media post that after two nights in an underground parking garage, her parents decided to send her and her sister out of the country. 6 Tennis star Dayana Yastremska, who upset Coco Gauff at Wimbledon. Dayana Yastremska /Instagram 6 Coco Gauff and Dayana Yastremska shaking hands at the net after a tennis match at Wimbledon. Geoff Burke-Imagn Images In February 2024, Yastremska released a new single, 'Hearts,' which she described as a 'song for Ukraine.' Yastremska will face Anastasia Zakharova in the second round of Wimbledon.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark Had 7-Word Reaction To Sophie Cunningham's Outfit
Caitlin Clark Had 7-Word Reaction To Sophie Cunningham's Outfit originally appeared on The Spun. WNBA star Caitlin Clark had a seven-word reaction to her teammate Sophie Cunningham's pregame outfit over the weekend. Advertisement Cunningham, a veteran guard out of Missouri, was traded from the Phoenix Mercury to the Indiana Fever this offseason. Cunningham has since become an integral part of the Fever roster. She's a veteran presence in the backcourt and she's served as a bit of an enforcer for Clark, too. The veteran WNBA guard got into with multiple members of the Connecticut Sun last week, after Clark was hit in the eye and decked to the ground. Cunningham has made it clear that she'll be standing up for Clark when the referees allow that kind of thing to happen. Meanwhile, Cunningham has blown up on social media. She's hit one million followers on TikTok and she has more than one million followers on Instagram, too. Sophie Cunningham recently stunned with her pregame outfit, celebrating hitting one million followers on social media. Advertisement "what's with all the commotion lately? 😜" she wrote. Clark had a seven-word response: "Some of my flics made it huge." Cunningham has certainly benefited on social media from playing with Clark. She's become one of the most followed players on social media in the entire WNBA. The University of Missouri graduate could become even bigger if the Fever were to make a deep run in the 2025 WNBA postseason. The Fever have been up and down to start the year but remain one of the most talented teams in the league. Caitlin Clark Had 7-Word Reaction To Sophie Cunningham's Outfit first appeared on The Spun on Jun 29, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jun 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
