Jessica Simpson Says Her Husband and Kids ‘Miss’ Her as She Splits Time Between L.A. and Nashville (Exclusive)

Jessica Simpson knows what it’s like to spend time away from her young family.

On Wednesday, the 43-year-old singer and actress opened up to PEOPLE about how she spends her time between LA and Nashville — where she’s working on new music for the first time in 13 years.

“I’m back and forth a lot so now they know what it’s like to be missed and I feel very loved,” she says.

After spending the summer in Tennessee with husband Eric Johnson and their children — son Ace Knute, 10, and daughters Birdie Mae, 4, and Maxwell Drew, 11 — Simpson noted that Johnson, 44, is now back home in LA with with their children while she juggles between two cities.

“They helped me find a house [in Nashville]we’ve all moved there, they’ve picked out their rooms, that stuff, but they’re at school so I’ve got two weeks [in Nashville]two weeks home,” Simpson, who was speaking at the 37th annual Footwear News Achievement Awards in New York, told PEOPLE.

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Jessica Simpson at the 37th Annual Footwear News Achievement Awards in New York City.

Gotham/GC images

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She also revealed why her husband of nine years cannot travel with her. “He is with the children. I had to have someone with the children,” she says.

In August, the mother of three opened up about her family’s summer in Nashville and shared how she felt a change in herself while living there.

“Being in Nashville, even my kids are like, ‘You’re smiling all the time. You’re so happy,'” she said Hey! News. “It’s because I’m not on guard. I’m with a lot of like-minded people. It’s not about the celebrities – it’s really about the music, the heart and the conversation.”

Eric Johnson and Jessica Simpson with their children Ace, Birdie and Maxwell.

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That same month, the fashion maven also spoke to PEOPLE about how her family is supporting her return to music.

“I was too nervous to go back to other jobs that are my passion until I felt they were confident enough in school and life before I stepped on stage,” she said.

“It’s crazy, feeling the responsibility as a parent, but I really look up to them and they’ve taught me so much. They teach me to be brave,” she added, noting that they are “very excited” for her.

“They know I’m living my dream and that’s what I was born to do,” she continued. “And for them to experience that with me will be really nice.”

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Source: HIS Education