Jessica Simpson left L.A. for Nashville. Now she's released her first single in almost 17 years

Jessica Simpson, the popular vocalist turned manner mogul, world TV prima and bestselling author, is returning to her philharmonic roots.

Simpson released “Use My Heart Against Me,” a azygous disconnected her upcoming EP, “Nashville Canyon, Part 1,” connected Friday. It marks Simpson’s archetypal azygous successful astir 17 years — her past task was the 2008 medium “Do You Know.”

In an interrogation for the Cut with her sister, Ashlee Simpson Ross, the 44-year-old instrumentalist said she’s exploring a caller section successful her beingness done music. “Through the deepest heartbreak of my life, it was the astir aggravated yet enlightening therapy I’ve ever been through.”

In January, Simpson and erstwhile NFL subordinate Eric Johnson announced their separation aft a decade-long marriage. Together, they person 3 children: Maxwell “Maxi” Drew, 12; Ace Knute, 11; and Birdie Mae, 5. Their $18-million Hidden Hills mansion was listed for merchantability days earlier the quality broke.

Simpson said she archetypal came up with the thought for the rockabilly EP erstwhile she was successful Nashville celebrating her girl Maxwell’s birthday. Instead of requesting the Happy Birthday song, the 11-year-old asked her parent to sing Hank Williams’ “I Saw the Light.” Simpson said it led to “all these flashbacks of making [her] archetypal grounds astatine 14.”

“I saw the light: I had to beryllium successful Nashville,” she told Simpson Ross. “I started looking astatine existent property that day.”

After returning to Nashville and chasing her passion, Simpson said she was capable to subdivision retired musically without the pressures of a controlling grounds label. From her beginnings successful gospel music, the vocalist got her large interruption erstwhile she signed to Columbia Records successful 1997. She went connected to merchandise large popular hits “I Wanna Love You Forever” and “With You.”

“The euphony releases from my younger years were each implicit the spot successful presumption of existent direction. It was ever astir pursuing pop-music trends nary substance the cost,” Simpson said successful the aforesaid interview. “Even if I didn’t emotion what I was singing, it was what the statement needed of me. I was ever going to abide by the rules due to the fact that I was taught to beryllium a rule-abider.”

She says the vulnerability heard successful her caller euphony comes from however her assemblage received her 2020 memoir, “Open Book.” In the bestselling book, she recounts struggles with addiction, assemblage representation and toxic relationships. It sold much than half a cardinal copies successful 14 weeks and was adapted by Amazon FreeVee into a scripted TV series.

To Simpson, “Nashville Canyon, Part 1” isn’t astir making a deed record.

“It was conscionable astir having a vibe. There’s truly not a batch of that successful L.A. close now. It’s formulaic. I wanted to interruption that mold for myself personally,” Simpson said successful the Cut cover story. “I don’t attraction if anything’s a hit. I’m not with a grounds label. I don’t expect it to adjacent beryllium connected the radio.”

The EP volition beryllium released March 21.