Jessica Simpson is opening up about writing her EP Nashville Canyon, Part 1 in the midst of her separation from Eric Johnson.
“I was out in Nashville and I had my heart wide open, I was in a very intuitive state and I had to ask some very personal questions on the home front,” Simpson, 44, said during her Friday, March 14, set at the Luck Reunion festival in Texas. “I found out that my world had been turned upside down and that life was very different.”
She continued, “I am now a very single lady.”
Simpson and Johnson, 45, had been together since 2010 and went on to welcome three children together: Maxwell, 12, Ace, 11, and Birdie, 5. The duo announced in January that they separated after 10 years of marriage.
Jessica Simpson Says Ex Eric Johnson Supported Her Making New Music
“Eric and I have been living separately navigating a painful situation in our marriage,” Simpson told Us Weekly in a statement. “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, for her part, channeled her post-breakup emotions into her newest EP, Nashville Canyon, Part 1, which drops later this month.
“When we open our hearts, sometimes we’re vulnerable and it just gets broken,” she added on Friday. “Maybe sometimes we forget that we’ve been broken for a really long time, but when we meet ourselves, when we write, when we sing [and] when we connect with ourselves, we find all the answers.”
Simpson’s Friday performance — her first live concert in 15 years — was held at the annual festival at Willie Nelson’s famed ranch in Luck, Texas. The pop star delighted fans with renditions of new tracks “Use My Heart Against Me,” “Sunday Lover” and “Leave” — which she called a “heartbreak, pissed-off anthem” — as well a cover of “These Boots Were Made For Walking.” Of course, Simpson famously sang a rendition of the Nancy Sinatra hit for 2005’s The Dukes of Hazzard.
Jessica Simpson Teases ‘Soundtrack to My Soul’ Amid Eric Johnson Split
While Nashville Canyon might have emotionally charged ballads, Simpson and Johnson remain on amicable terms to coparent their three kids.
“I’ve grown up so much. I can handle so much. Maybe I’m just meant to love a lot of people in my life,” she told People last month. “I don’t know why my heart gets tossed around, but I’m one of the lucky ones. At least I have my children and I still have Eric. He’s still very much a part of my life and will always be.”
Nashville Canyon, Part 1 drops Friday, March 21.
