Jessica Simpson is done playing by the pop industry’s old, weird, and frankly exhausting rules. Now, at 44, she’s back with new music and a “zero cares given” attitude.
Her upcoming single, “Use My Heart Against Me,” drops February 21, followed by her EP Nashville Canyon, Part 1 in March. That’s right—Jessica is back, baby! And this time, she’s doing it her way (cue Frank Sinatra music).
Sitting down with her equally iconic sister Ashlee Simpson, Jessica spilled all about her early days as a pop star, the struggles of being the industry’s golden child (but not in a fun, Beyoncé way), and the real reason she was always the radio-friendly one while Ashlee got to be the cool one.
“Basically, my career was like an overproduced reality show where a bunch of men in suits decided what I should wear, how I should sound, and what brand of lip gloss I was allowed to use,” Jessica confessed to Ashlee during an interview with The Cut. “Meanwhile, you got to wear ripped jeans, do backflips, and scream ‘LA LA!’ while I was out here being America’s sweetheart against my will.”
Ashlee confirmed that Jessica was, in fact, being micromanaged by a committee of men who probably wore the same five blue suits on rotation.
“People were total d-cks to you,” Ashlee said bluntly, because sisters don’t sugarcoat things. “Watching you go through that made me decide to just not.”
Jessica went on to explain how, back in the day, record labels were throwing money at her career like it was a high-stakes Vegas poker game.
“They were determined to make me the biggest pop star, no matter the cost. But the thing is, the cost was my sanity. It was always about album sales and radio play, never about what I actually wanted to sing,” she admitted.
But now? Jessica is free as a bedazzled butterfly.
“I don’t care if anything is a hit. I’m not with a label. I don’t expect to be on the radio. I just want to make music that actually feels like me,” she said, probably while sipping a fancy herbal tea.
And she’s not the only one making a comeback—Jessica and Ashlee might finally bless us with a sibling banger!
“Our voices just vibe together. We’ve always wanted to collab—it’s just about making the timing work,” Jessica teased.
Ashlee nodded in agreement, adding:
> “Yeah, we at least owe the people one song.”
She’s doing things her way, and if the universe aligns, we might just get the greatest sister duet of all time. (Sorry, Donny and Marie—your reign is over.)
