On November 29 in New York City, Jessica Simpson was honored with the Icon Award at the Footwear News Achievement Awards -- aka the "Shoe Oscars" -- for her billion-dollar Jessica Simpson Footwear line. But next year, the former reality star is getting back to her original job: music.
Speaking to Footwear News, Jessica says she's been recording new music in Nashville. She plans to release it in 2024, and follow that up with a tour. "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," she tells the publication.
Noting that she feels "so enlightened" in the studio, the "I Wanna Love You Forever" singer adds, "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.”
When a new album does emerge, it'll be her first in more than 13 years: Her last release was 2010's Happy Christmas, while her last non-holiday album, Do You Know, came out in 2008.
As for her Icon Award, Jessica feels she deserves it. "An icon is someone who is not afraid to take risks,” she explains. “And often, their choices don’t make sense in the immediate, but they’re part of an enlightened understanding of the big picture. It’s someone who transcends a particular time or place and defines a moment.”
Given that Jessica defines the exact Y2K moment that people are so nostalgic for these days, she has a good shot at a warm reception for her new music.