Jessica Simpson Is Excited To Be An Aunt

Jessica Simpson smiles ear to ear after being asked about becoming an aunt (her younger sister Ashlee is pregnant) outside her hotel in New York City on Tuesday morning.

The 27-year-old aspiring country singer layered an Alexander McQueen jacket over a C&C California tank. She also accessorized with Sonia Rykiel shoes and a bag from her own Jessica Simpson line.

Auntie Jessica, who was accompanied by mom Tina, tried to stay cool in a pair of Frankie B shorts–the temperature in Manhattan has soared to 98 degrees F!

Jessica also recently talked about her future in country music with Nashville’s Tennessean. She addressed why some people are so against her singing country music: “I think just because my name is attached to it. Or maybe they thought that I was just trying to stomp on their ground for a little bit and see what I could do, and then just go back and make another pop record. But I’m planning on making country for the rest of my life, and I don’t want to go back to that other world.”

She added, “It’s a spiritual thing for me, like ‘I know God has a plan and a purpose.’ For the first time in my life, I take a lot of pride in my talent and in the record I was able to put together. With the writers, I felt comfortable opening up, because the only way this opportunity was going to be a great one was to be honest with myself and with them. If I want to be singing it for the rest of my life onstage, I want it to be honest.”