Jessica Simpson is bravely opening up about her days of early fame when she was forced to lose weight at 17 years old to “follow” the footsteps of pop stars Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.
The 45-year-old singer and fashion designer who rose to stardom in the late 90s and early aughts made the candid remarks during a concert in Pennsylvania on June 11, according to Page Six.
Jessica Simpson Recalls Being Compared to Britney Spears Early in Her Career
Simpson’s record label was the driving force behind the weight loss idea, she said.
“So when I first started singing, I was … to everyone at the record label … supposed to be this pop star,” she opened up, according to the news outlet. “You know, there’s Britney Spears, there’s Christina Aguilera. We love them. We support them. I had to, like, follow in their footsteps.”
Simpson, Spears and Aguilera all emerged during the late 90s during the teen-pop boom. The three singers often found themselves grouped together during the early aughts’ pop era.
Spears broke out with “…Baby One More Time” in 1998, while Aguilera followed with “Genie in a Bottle” in 1999. Simpson entered the music scene shortly after with her debut album, “Sweet Kisses,” in 1999.
GettyAt first, the singer thought the record label was talking about her voice—but they were recommending she lose weight.
This was when the “With You” singer was 17 years old. At the time, she was 115 pounds, and the record label told her she needed to lose 15 pounds, Simpson said, the outlet adds.
GettyFurthermore, by the time her second album, “Irresistible,” was out, she “needed to have a six pack,” she added.
“I’m just not built that way, you know? I have a belly a little bit,” she said, Page Six reports.
Jessica Simpson Says Music Helps Her Heal
GettySimpson also opened up about the “things” she “had to be to be Jessica Simpson, or the version that they believed I should be, that would be successful,” she continued, Page Six added.
The “Irresistible” singer shared, “I always felt like a failure because I was never good enough.”
To help “heal” Simpson, she released an EP, marking her first music release in 15 years.
“Nashville Canyon” arrived March 2025 and marked Simpson’s return to music after a lengthy, 15-year hiatus. The project, which she had been working on for the past three years, was inspired by personal experiences and arrived more than a decade after her last full-length studio album.
“It’s such a beautiful feeling. It really is,” she opened up.
This isn’t the only time Simpson has opened up about her experience growing up in the public eye.
In recent years, the singer has spoken candidly about sobriety, self-confidence, body image and pressures that came with fame at a young age.
“My whole music career, you know, I had a job, and it was to be a pop star. And I tried, but I will say: When you’re younger you just never feel good enough and it’s OK to not feel good enough,” she said at another concert, Page Six adds.
