Jessica Simpson, Gone Country in Nashville

When news hit that Jessica Simpson was moving to town to record an album, I think most everyone had a preconceived notion of both what she’d bring to country music and of who she is as a person. I certainly did. The very last thing I expected when meeting her not long ago for a late lunch at Sambuca in The Gulch—her favorite restaurant in town—was to have her lavish me with compliments, but that’s exactly what happened. I arrived a little late and also in a rush (I was heading to the beach), dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, and she made me feel like I was the movie star in less than five minutes. It wasn’t an act or an attempt to gain acceptance, it was genuine surprise that I didn’t look like what she’d expected, which she said was a “nerdy, writer-type.” When she followed up by saying she loved the magazine, I was sold. This girl is fantastic!

And I’m not the only Nashvillian or country music fan to think so, either—just the day before, it had been announced that her first release, the single “Come on Over,” debuted at #41 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, which broke all industry records. Yes, she’s recognized worldwide for her stint on a televised reality show, her roles in major motion pictures and her top-selling pop records, but to impress country radio and its listeners within a matter of days was quite a feat. And it’s one she hasn’t taken lightly. When we spoke, she could not stop gushing about her two-day experience at the CMA festival—instead of complaining about standing out in the heat or signing autographs, she seemed energized and inspired by the opportunity to be here at all.

“I absolutely love that you’re only asking me about the music and haven’t said a thing about what I’m wearing,” she told me within the first 15 minutes of our conversation. “I also adore the fact that everyone else here seems to be totally interested in the music and not at all concerned with the design I have on. It’s really nice to be an artist and around people who are into the actual music I’m putting out.”

If you love her single “Come on Over,” you can look forward to more of the same when her album Do You Know from Sony Music goes on sale the first week of September. Simpson describes the title song as “romantic, sexy and spiritual—it’s Dolly Parton all the way.” Parton, as it happens, wrote the song specifically for Jessica.

Will it be a top seller and break more records? Of that, she isn’t sure, but what she does know is that the record was meant to be. “It was a blessing for me to have completed this project,” she said. “I actually tried to do this six years ago and, as crazy as it sounds, nothing I did was appealing to the labels—they told me my sound was ‘too country.’”

No matter what happens, she says she’s found her genre. We talked at length about her desire to leave the pop world for good and to become a genuine country artist. She admitted to me after a little badgering that she had a gift vocally, but also pointed out that she no longer felt the need to sing only what was put in front of her. The woman Jessica has become is not only a performer but also an artist truly immersed in the entire process that is country music.

“I’m never going back to pop,” she told me with conviction. “ I’m committed to country, sink or swim. Being in Nashville brought me back to reality and was the major part of a healing process that I needed. Spending quality time with gifted writers in such a fantastic, grounded place brought me back to me.”

It’s easy to see why she liked the process so much—she’s been working with some of the best songwriters in the business, including Hillary Lindsey, Luke Laird, Rachel Proctor, Victoria Banks and Troy Verges, as well as the producers Brett James and John Shanks. It was during this time that she found herself changing as an individual and also growing as an artist.

It’s clear she admires the talent and knowledge her collaborators brought to the table. In no way did she present herself as “the big star” or someone to coddle or please. Jessica may have the attention of the international media, but her heart is in the right place when it comes to her craft. She genuinely wanted to learn from her co-writers and to grow from the experience.

I can’t help but think that a bit of that attitude came from her involvement with country music legend Willie Nelson, who was a huge influence on her decision and, ultimately, her determination to cross over to country for good. Like him, she’s a Texan, so they had that in common long before The Dukes of Hazzard movie came about, but it was after that the two started to communicate as musicians, and when he encouraged her to surrender her talent to country music. “What really turned my head around is how Willie told me that it was the only place in music where I could tell my story in a real and honest way,” Simpson recalled, and went on to explain that he was still her “Uncle Jessie” from the movie set, as well as her sounding board for breaking into a new market.

The Texas angle was good, but I was of course more interested in what this Deep South native thought of our Southern town. After all, she spent several months here in a Green Hills rental house while recording the album and is a regular at what she calls “the beautiful” Hermitage Hotel. First, she gushed about all of the places for live music, including our lunch spot.

“The first couple of weeks we were here, I stuck to what was close—Cheesecake Factory and Venetian Nails in Green Hills,” she laughed. “Luckily, I had good friends who were locals [Holly and Hillary Williams, daughters of Hank Jr.] who took me out. They showed me the town. I ventured out a bit and found Pancake Pantry, Agave, Goten at Hotel Indigo, Watermark, Radius 10 and Cabana. I also discovered the Jalapeño Margaritas at Lime.” (It’s clear now why her family jokes that Nashville’s “a drinking city with a music problem”—a description I found to be both hilarious and true.)

Simpson also gushed about how beautiful the city of Franklin is and the deals to be found at department stores I rarely visit such as Dillard’s and Macy’s—she knew all the inside scoop on local shopping and wasn’t afraid to admit that she’s always on the lookout for that one good find. It was refreshing to hear considering she has access to the most expensive lines, including an array of A-list designer frocks for Elle magazine’s shoot, which was appropriately shot at the Cash estate in Hendersonville. (She’ll appear on the cover as well as in several shots inside the fashion-forward magazine in October.)

I felt guilty about having to wind up our chat, but I had to hit the road for Seaside—where Simpson ended up going just a couple of weeks afterward—and still she made me feel great about myself, for maybe the tenth time in less than two hours. That’s just part of her charm. The fact that she was genuine in her statements was also apparent, and very endearing. Before I left, I asked what she was doing next.

“Well, I’m going to be doing lots of touring and fair dates for the album, and this fall I’ll be spending a great deal of time in Dallas during football season,” she said, with meaning. I hadn’t asked any personal questions, and yet she gave me the answer. I don’t read tabloids so I wasn’t sure what to ask about all of that, anyway. What I do know is that Jessica is making strides in her career, and I’m thrilled that she’s devoted to—and appreciates—my hometown and the music that put us on the map. Bad luck for the Cowboys? I don’t think so. A good luck charm for Music City? Definitely!