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Ashlee Simpson is kicking off the holidays with a new campaign with Liquid I.V., but it’s her fans who may be getting the best gift of all, as the singer reveals she’s back in the studio.
Simpson stars in a new commercial promoting Liquid I.V.’s latest flavor, the limited-edition “Hydration Multiplier Cozy Caramel Hot Chocolate Blend.” The cocoa-infused powder dissolves easily in hot water and offers up a warm and festive drink while delivering a dose of electrolytes for hydration.
The accompanying ad finds the singer playing up her comedic chops as she struggles to get her house in order for the holidays. Amid the hustle and bustle, she manages to find a moment for herself to sip on the new Liquid I.V. hot chocolate blend.
The chaos of the holidays is nothing new for Simpson, who says she jumped at the opportunity to work with Liquid I.V. The mom of three and self-proclaimed “biggest Christmas girl” begins our phone conversation momentarily distracted. “Sorry, it’s my son’s birthday,” she says, as birthday boy Ziggy is heard asking for his mom on the other end of the line. “Can you hear that? The holiday craze is starting,” she sighs.
Simpson says Christmas has always been a special time for her family, dating back to growing up in Texas, where fancy dinners and gift exchanges were things to look forward to each year. “My mom was always good with our stocking stuffers, so that tradition carries with my family for sure,” she says.
These days, Simpson’s family celebrations include her extended family with husband Evan Ross, his sister Tracee Ellis-Ross, and their mom Diana Ross, among others. “Everyone being together is what makes the holidays so magical,” Simpson says. “My holidays as a kid, it was always my sister and I, just us two. Now we have huge families, so I think for me, it’s that moment of being with the family that I love.”
HOLIDAY RELEASE
Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier – Cozy Caramel Hot Chocolate
You can pick up a six-pack of Liquid I.V. Cozy Caramel Hot Chocolate drink mix sticks now exclusively at Target.
Simpson recently celebrated another big moment, with a residency in Las Vegas marking the 20th anniversary of her 2005 sophomore album, I Am Me. The singer says she went through a period of “intense pressure” when the album dropped, but two decades later, she’s able to look back on that time with nothing but good memories.
“It was definitely nerve-wracking doing a follow up album [to her triple-platinum debut, Autobiography], but I think for me, that was like a very good pressure and a crazy moment in my life. We just kind of stayed locked up in the studio.”
I Am Me produced two hit singles (“Boyfriend,” “L.O.V.E.”), but wasn’t as well received by critics. “I was definitely aware of what people were saying, but I think even at such a young age, I was able to tell myself, ‘Don’t look, don’t listen [to them].’ I had grown up in this industry since I was 14, and I had seen what it did to my sister, I had seen all those girls at that time,” she says. “So I knew how to be strong and fight for myself.”
Simpson says she’s also been able to look back at that album with new appreciation after seeing the response from fans at her Vegas shows and at her headlining West Hollywood Pride performance in June. “It’s a great validation that the album and the music meant so much to so many people,” she says. “For me to get to play shows and relive that has been very special for me as well. And it really helped me to set up where I’m going now with myself and my music in the future.”
The recent Masked Singer winner says she’s been back in the studio working on new music, though she hesitates to reveal much more than that. “I’ve been wanting to get back to writing, which I have been on and off. But I think after doing shows like the Vegas residency and Pride, I was like, ‘OK, playing these shows is amazing, but I also want people to know where I’m at in my life as well,’” she says.
“That’s what I’ve been in the studio focusing on,” she adds. “My songs have always been very truthful, and I think that still remains now, and I’m excited to share where I’m at in my life.”
Simpson says there’s no release date for her new music just yet, but adds that the continued support from her fans is “like a big warm hug.”
Simpson runs with the comparison to bring it back to her Liquid I.V. campaign: “I love the holidays,” she says. “I love the shopping, I love the traveling, I love every school event, but I always have to remind myself to take a break and give myself a moment, whether that’s with a nice tea or with the Liquid I.V. Cozy Caramel Hot Chocolate. It tastes delicious and it’s actually doing something good for me, for my clarity and focus.”
“I am the person that has to have everything Christmas,” she adds. “So this is so on-brand for me.”