Jessica Simpson reflects on 'emotional' return to stage after 15 years

Jessica Simpson is stepping back into the spotlight after a 15-year hiatus.

The “With You” singer performed live for the first time in 15 years on Wednesday, taking the stage at SXSW’s Recording Academy Austin Chapter Block Party. 

Reflecting on the moment, Simpson shared an emotional message on Instagram the next day.

“Last night was my first performance in 15 years,” she wrote. “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.”

During her set, Simpson performed two new singles, Use My Heart Against Me and Leave, ahead of the March 21 release of her EP Nashville Canyon Pt. 1. She also debuted unreleased tracks Breadcrumbs and Blame Me, along with covers of Dusty Springfield’s Son of a Preacher Man and Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.

Addressing the crowd, Simpson opened up about her long hiatus. “I needed to remember who I was and why I wanted to sing in the first place,” she said. “And I needed to forget who they told me to be.”

Since her last public performance at the 2010 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting, Simpson has built a billion-dollar fashion empire, released a bestselling memoir, and raised three children with husband Eric Johnson. Now, she’s returning to her first love — music.

“My daughter led me back to Nashville,” she told People magazine in February. “Her wanting to see the light showed me the light.”