"I took a long break," Simpson shared during the conversation. "I was mad at music a bit. After being dropped with a number one country album... I just never understood it." She added that the label claimed she would never recoup their investment unless she gave up part of her brand—a brand she emphasized was already thriving independently.
Simpson revealed that she was often discouraged from pursuing music altogether, with people warning her it could hurt her career. The same skepticism followed her decision to do reality TV, which ultimately did not harm her career. Through it all, she stayed true to her desire to be seen as authentic and relatable. "I don't want people to want to be me. I want them to feel like they are me," she said.
Having released seven studio albums before stepping away from music around 2010, Simpson admitted in a 2023 interview with Bustle that she lacked control over her career at its peak. "We were just yes-people," she said, referring to high production costs and creative decisions she couldn't influence. "In saying yes to everything, I lost it all."
Now, as she prepares a return to music, Simpson says she's in a much better place mentally and emotionally. Her children, who have grown up watching her write songs at home, assumed she had still been releasing music. "They know me through this music," she said. "That's what's beautiful about it."
She also shared how a recent family trip to Nashville, sparked by her daughter's birthday wish, rekindled her passion for the city and for music. "This is where I discover myself," she said of Nashville. "It's where I feel born free."
