Jessica Simpson Teased a Comeback With an Unexpectedly Personal Message

Emma Banks

14 November 2024 at 12:42 pm·2-min read

The veteran pop star is poised to release her first original album in 16 years.

After a 16-year hiatus from the world of pop music, Jessica Simpson is preparing to launch her comeback—and this time, it's personal. The singer, whose most recent original album, Do You Know, was released in 2008, recently took to Instagram to share a sneak peek at her Nashville digs. But her caption hinted at more than just a tour of her recording studio.

"Interviews in my Nashville music room where I unearthed my singular magic," she wrote in her caption. "This comeback is personal, it’s an apology to myself for putting up with everything I did not deserve."

The cryptic nature of Simpson's post did not escape fans, who immediately began speculating as to what—or who—she might be referencing, and what exactly happened to warrant such a post. Nevertheless, the comeback is imminent: at least according to Simpson, who announced she would go on tour with a brand-new album back in 2023.

"Writing music has become a beautiful therapeutic thing for me that I didn’t know was so natural, but it’s because I haven’t done it in so long," Simpson said in an interview with Footwear News. "It’s just nice to know that I’m meeting myself back in this place, as a woman, and after going through everything that I’ve been through in my life. There’s a sense of freedom and empowerment.”

Simpson is no stranger to the pros—and cons—of public vulnerability. Her 2006 album, A Public Affair, served as something of an epilogue to her rather messy divorce from Nick Lachey; 14 years later, she revisited past pains for the release of her memoir, Open Book. She was also, of course, a familiar figure on the aughts-era of reality TV, when she starred in Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica from 2003-2005.

Simpson's upcoming album will be her eighth; in addition to Do You Know and A Public Affair, the singer's discography includes In This Skin, Irresistible, two Christmas albums, and her 1999 debut, Sweet Kisses.