When a singer steps away from the stage, a comeback isn’t always guaranteed. But Jessica Simpson? She just made hers happen.
On Wednesday, March 12, the 43-year-old pop star returned to live performing at South by Southwest’s Recording Academy Block Party in Austin, Texas — marking her first time singing in front of a crowd in over a decade.
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“I’m about to take the stage for the first time in 15 years,” Simpson said in a video posted to her Instagram Story before the show. “I’m very excited. I’m blessed to be here. I think it’s gonna go good, I hope!”
Once onstage, the “Take My Breath Away” singer made it clear why this moment mattered. “This time I needed to remember who I was and why I wanted to sing in the first place and all the music that inspires me,” she told the crowd. “And I needed to forget who they told me to be.”
Simpson’s setlist was a mix of old favorites and new material. She performed her signature cover of “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” and “Son of a Preacher Man” alongside fresh tracks like “Breadcrumbs” and “Leave” — both from her upcoming EP Nashville Canyon: Part 1, out Monday, March 21.
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Fan footage of the performance quickly made the rounds online, and the internet had plenty to say.
“Jessica Simpson will have an amazing comeback. It’s her season! 
,” one fan commented on TikTok.
“You can tell she’s so happy to be back on stage 
,” another added.
“That stage has probably missed Jessica’s energy,” someone else wrote.
The former MTV star’s return to the stage comes amid major changes in her personal life. In January, she announced her separation from Eric Johnson after 10 years of marriage, revealing they had been living apart while navigating a “painful situation.” The former couple share three children — Maxwell, 12, Ace, 11, and Birdie, 5.
To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.
