Ashlee Simpson Got ‘Butterflies’ Playing Music For Her Mother-in-Law Diana Ross: ‘It’s Nerve-Wracking’

Ashley Simpson’s surprise appearance during Demi Lovato’s Los Angeles concert in September was a reminder of how much she loves being on stage, the singer shared during a recent appearance on the Jennifer Hudson Show. But before she can get back out there, she needs a new album of material to perform. It’s been nearly 15 years since the release of her last solo album, but returning to the scene can’t be any more daunting than playing music for her mother-in-law Diana Ross.

“I think it’s nerve-wracking at first playing music for anyone when it’s new, but definitely her,” Simpson told Hudson, recalling sharing the joint album she made with her husband Evan Ross in 2018. “You’re like, ‘Oh, please like it.’ Definitely butterflies, but she’s such a wonderful mother-in-law. She’s very encouraging, and she definitely helped us on the album too.”

Simpson is coming up on the 20th anniversary of her pivotal debut Autobiography, which arrived in 2004. “It’s so wild to think that it’s been 20 years, but then I look at my son, and he’s 14,” she told Hudson. “It’s pretty wild. But my daughter, she’s the one who’s like, ‘I want to hear mommy’s music.’ So I get to listen to it quite frequently.”

Toying with the idea of switching gears from the family-oriented life she’s led with her three children for more than a decade, the singer is comforted by the growth in between eras. “I’m not an angsty teen anymore,” she told Hudson.

“I keep saying I’m coming out with an album, coming out with an album – and now I have to, you know?” Simpson resolved. “But then I keep having babies.”