Jessica Simpson is reflecting on a fearful time in her life.
In a new interview with The Cut, Simpson – who recently split from husband Erik Johnson – opened up about the positive impact her sobriety has had on her personal and professional life, and shares why she was “a little afraid” of herself while drinking alcohol.
“Around 2016, ’17, I was writing out here in Los Angeles with some of the biggest hitmakers. I have songs from those times that I never released because they just didn’t feel like me,” she said. “Every time I would write, I was a little afraid of myself. It was almost too much, especially because I was drinking at the time.”
JESSICA SIMPSON HAS ‘SO MUCH CLARITY’ WITH SOBRIETY, FEELS LIKE ‘I’M IN MY 20S AGAIN’
“But once I gave up the alcohol, the fears just diminished. They went away. And it was so much easier for me to access myself artistically,” she continued.
“I overthought it when I drank,” she added. “Making this record wasn’t about having a hit. It was just about having a vibe. There’s really not a lot of that in Los Angeles right now. It’s formulaic. I wanted to break that mold for myself personally. I don’t care if anything’s a hit. I’m not with a record label. I don’t expect it to even be on the radio.”
A representative for Simpson did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Simpson celebrated seven years of sobriety in November.
“7yrs ago today I walked myself into the light of being alcohol free,” she wrote on Instagram.
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Her post was met with a wave of support from fans and friends.
“So brave for sharing your honesty! Addiction has touched everyone I know… Keep up the battle,” one user commented.
“Bravo,” John Stamos wrote.
In 2023, Simpson told E! News, “Not drinking has been the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. I have so much clarity.”
She continued, “I like to be present when I’m in conversation with people. I like to absorb what other people are thinking, and I like to listen. That kind of blocked me from feeling my life. I’m feeling it now, and I love it.”
“It’s also good to keep the extra pounds off, I will say,” Simpson added, “especially during the holidays.”
Since her split from Johnson, the “Irresistible” singer recently told People magazine that she’s created “sexy” music as her latest project, “Nashville Canyon, Part 1,” is a collection of five soul- and rockabilly-infused tunes.
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“Discovering this music is something I did on my own,” Simpson said. “Thank God I had Nashville, it was just a way of me owning myself and declaring it.”
Simpson described her first single, “Use My Heart Against Me,” as “a sexy song to write.”
“I woke up with that lyric in my head,” she said. “It’s kind of craving someone that you want again, and you don’t care if your heart is used against you – if it’s just for one night. Like, give it over, just for the experience again.”
“I didn’t necessarily want it at the beginning of writing this record. I was in a different place,” she continued.
“I am a woman now, and I can do what I want and to have freedom in music – I think that’s what you’re going to feel in ‘Nashville Canyon.’”
