Interview: Jessica Simpson Talks About Men, Happiness and Why She's Going Country

Jessica Simpson began her career in 1999 with her hit single "I Wanna Love You Forever." Since then, she's been married and divorced in the public eye, starred in a handful of movies, been the butt of jokes and is now moving in another direction both in life and musically.

Simpson has had the ebs and flows in the music business. Due to her reality series showcasing her relationship with Nick Lachey, she had a slight advantage to single releases. Her most recent effort A Public Affair didn't take as well as hoped. However, that album was originally supposed to be the one coming out now, her country effort Do You Know? which is set to be released on September 9, 2008.

"It's something I've always wanted to do, a country record," says the 28 year old singer/actress.

"I love country music. I'm from Texas, I grew up listening to a lot of that music," she continues.

With the release of her single "Come On Over," which she penned, perception of what this new "country" Jessica might sound like has been biased. Reviews of the song state its strength for her vocals, others say Jessica should stop singing altogether. The song made history being the first debut single by a solo artist to debut on the country chart. Not too bad for a poptart gone country.

"I don't like to keep up on everything the media says because they're always going to try to pull you down. I don't want to be someone who has to always sing just pop music."

Jessica is just one of few testing out those waters and picking up the twang. Songwriter Jewel has had pleasant acceptance into the country world. Michelle Branch, who started out a pop singer, moved to a country duo band The Wreckers. Branch is currently working on a solo project on the lines of a more country feel.

"Music is powerful. Think about it: You probably listen to a lot of different artists. You may have favorites that you will like most anything they sing. It's a chance to try something new and start a new chapter in my musical career," says Simpson about her switch to country music.