Jessica Simpson performed for the first time in 15 years last night to a small crowd in Texas.
The With You hitmaker, 44, belted out several new songs at the Grammy Block Party with pitch perfect ease while wearing a tasselled suede jacket, brown leather suit and throwback disc belt.
The star marked the big moment with an emotional message about coming back to the ‘best part’ of herself following her split from husband Eric Johnson.
‘Last night was my first performance in 15 years,’ Jessica wrote on social media alongside the video of her on stage.
‘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. I love y’all. More to come…’
This milestone comes as Jessica launched her big comeback with two new singles, Use My Heart Against Me and Leave, which she sang for the SXSW crowd alongside her renditions of Son of a Preacher Man and These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ on Wednesday night.
‘This time I needed to remember who I was and why I wanted to sing in the first place and why music inspires me,’ she told the intimate crowd ahead of the release of her new EP Nashville Canton Pt 1 later this month, adding: ‘I needed to forget who they told me to be.’
As per Rolling Stone, she also debuted two other tracks on the evening called Breadcrumbs and Blame Me.
Simpson’s last public performance was at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony in 2010.
Over the past 16 years, Jessica has welcomed three children with NFL star Eric Johnson, who she married in 2014.
In January Jessica announced their split following a 10-year marriage, and she appeared to nod to the heartbreak while speaking to the crowd about her new music at the event.
‘The songs kept coming. I was so inspired and it was just such a beautiful moment,’ she said.
‘But within that moment, my life turned upside down, and there was no way I was going to let it keep me from my purpose.
‘There was no way I was going to let the light go dim. I’ve done that before and it held me back and made me so insecure, and I can say today I love myself. I love the woman I’ve become, I love the mother I am.’
She concluded: ‘And I know that through heartbreak, you write some good music. So I guess take advantage of it.’
Announcing their split in January, Jessica said: ‘Eric and I have been living separately navigating a painful situation in our marriage.
‘Our children come first, and we are focusing on what is best for them.
The statement to People concluded: ‘We are grateful for all of the love and support that has been coming our way, and appreciate privacy right now as we work through this as a family.’
They have three children: a daughter named Maxwell Drew Johnson, 12, a son named Ace Knute Johnson, 11, and another daughter named Birdie Mae Johnson, five.
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