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

"I'm back and forth a lot," the singer and actress tells PEOPLE at the 37th Annual Footwear News Achievement Awards in New York City, Wednesday

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

On Wednesday, the singer and actress, 43, opened up to PEOPLE about splitting her time between L.A. and Nashville — where she is 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 miss me and I feel very loved," she says.

After spending the summer in Tennessee with her 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 L.A. with their kids while she juggles her time between the two cities.

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

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Related: Jessica Simpson Celebrates Husband Eric’s Birthday: ‘My Heart Is So Taken with This Man’

She also revealed why her husband of nine years is unable to travel with her. “He’s with the kids. I had to have somebody with the kids," she says.

In August, the mom-of-three opened up about the family’s summer in Nashville and shared how she could feel a change in herself while living there.

"Being in Nashville, even my kids are like, 'You laugh the whole time. You're so happy,' " she told E! 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 and the heart and the conversation."

Related: Jessica Simpson Shares Sweet Selfie with Lookalike Daughter Maxwell: 'Choose to Be Kind Today'

That same month, the fashion maven also spoke to PEOPLE about her family supporting her move back into music.

“I was too nervous to go back into other careers that are my passion until I felt like they were confident enough in school and in life before I would step foot on stage,” she said.

“It's crazy, the responsibility to feel as a parent, but really I look to them and they teach me so much. They're teaching me to be brave,” she added, noting that they're "very excited" for her.

“They know that I'm living my dream and that that's what I was born to do,” she continued. “And so to have them experience that with me is going to be really beautiful.”

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