EXCLUSIVE: Secrets of Jessica Simpson's Journey from Heartbreak to Healing in Wake of Her Split From Husband Eric Johnson

In the fall of 2023, Jessica Simpson headed to Nashville, Tenn., to record her first album in 15 years. She was about halfway through when her decade-long marriage to former NFL player Eric Johnson finally ended after months of speculation about problems in the union, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

The parents of Maxwell, 12, Ace, 11, and Birdie, 5, announced their split in January, with Simpson revealing that the two had indeed been living separately, "navigating a painful situation."

With her heart broken at the failure of her marriage, the former pop princess has found solace in music.

"Through the deepest heartbreak of my life, it was the most intense yet enlightening therapy I've ever been through," Simpson revealed of recording her new album, Nashville Canyon, in an intimate new interview with younger sister Ashlee Simpson, 40, in The Cut.

A source added: "The lyrics poured out of her, and she has to say her new music is the best, most honest work she's churned out."

The country-rock LP comes out March 21, following the debut of its first single, Use My Heart Against Me.

It's been a transformative time for the 44-year-old. In 2017, she announced she'd gotten sober after struggling with addictions to alcohol and pills. Two years later, she showed off her 100-pound weight loss following the birth of her third child.

Now, she's single for the first time since 2010, and according to the source, Simpson feels closer to her authentic self than ever before.

The insider added: "She's undergone a massive transformation, and it's like she finally knows who she is. It's been a process of unearthing the real Jessica."

It's something she's proud to celebrate, toasting her rebirth in a February 21 Instagram promoting her new track.

She wrote: "To the girl I was, I love you. To the woman I am, I am proud of you. To the woman I am becoming, I am excited for you... Let's do this."

Simpson returned to Nashville back in 2023. She said she was there with her family for Maxwell's 11th birthday when it hit her that she was meant to record in the famed country music hub.

The singer explained: "All of a sudden, I saw the light: I had to be in Nashville. I started looking at real estate that day."

Tellingly, as she began her journey, Johnson, 45, stayed back in L.A. with the kids.

A source explained: "She had to go to Nashville alone. It was as much about the creative process as not wanting to disrupt the kids' lives and tear them away from their friends and activities.

"She knew they'd be OK with their dad. Eric's a good father – Jessica could never fault him for that."

RadarOnline.com previously reported their union was "hanging by a thread" in late 2024, noting they had "drifted apart," and that financial issues were a factor.

While her Jessica Simpson lifestyle brand is worth an estimated $1 billion, a source said Johnson’s "failure to launch" had caused tension.

In Nashville, Jessica had an epiphany and said: "I discovered so much that wasn't true about the life I was leading that led me to shed everything."

Cutting out alcohol had helped her find her voice, literally and figuratively.

The singer said: "It was so much easier for me to access myself artistically."

The source added: "All the fear and anxiety and self-doubt went away when Jessica quit drinking."

She also broke free of controlling record label executives dictating her every move.

Simpson explained: "It was always about following pop music trends no matter the cost. Even if I didn't love what I was singing, it was what the label needed of me."

According to the source, she might even be dipping her toes back in the dating pool.

The insider dished: "She wants to make sure she doesn't lose herself again. It's a delicate balance."