Ashlee + Evan (EP)

Ashlee + Evan is the eponymous debut extended play (EP) by Ashlee + Evan, an American musical duo consisting of married singers Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross. It was released on October 12, 2018, by Access Records.

Ashlee + Evan
EP by Ashlee + Evan
Released	October 12, 2018
Length	19:42
Label	Access
Producer	Austin Brown Brian London Verdine White
Singles from Ashlee + Evan
"I Do" Released: September 7, 2018 "Paris" Released: September 14, 2018 "Safe Zone" Released: September 21, 2018 "Tonic" Released: September 28, 2018 "I Want You" Released: October 5, 2018

Background and development

Early in the couple's relationship, they would frequently stay up until 3:00 AM singing songs together.[1] The couple announced their engagement in January 2014[2] and were married on August 31, 2014.[3] While visiting Ross during a studio session sometime in 2015, the duo recorded a song called "Permission to Love". According to Simpson, this is when she realized that they worked well together.[1] Simpson revealed that the couple were writing music together in May 2016. By this time, they had written approximately ten songs and were mostly focused on finding their own sound.[4]

For the EP, the duo "wanted to do something that felt organic".[5] They drew inspiration from Simpson's love of American soul singers Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill, as well as Diana & Marvin (1973), a duets album by his mother Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye. The couple also found inspiration in the recordings of American musical duo Sonny & Cher.[6]

Singles

"I Do" was released as the first single from the EP on September 7, 2018.[7] The track sold 11,000 downloads in its first week and debuted at number six on the Billboard Pop Digital Song Sales chart and at number 16 on the Digital Song Sales chart. This marked Ross' first appearance on a Billboard chart and Simpson's first chart placement in over ten years.[8]

Critical response

Mike Nied of Idolator called "Home" a "chill-inducing moment" and noted that it appears to be "one of the most sure-fire hits" on the EP.[9]

Tour

List of concerts, showing date, city, country and venue

Date	City	Country	Venue
North America[10]
January 7, 2019	New York City	United States	Bowery Ballroom
January 8, 2019	Washington, D.C.		Union Stage
January 10, 2019	Atlanta		The Loft
January 11, 2019	Nashville		Exit/In
January 12, 2019	Chicago		Lincoln Hall
January 14, 2019	Dallas		House of Blues Cambridge Room
January 17, 2019	San Francisco		Slim's
January 18, 2019	Los Angeles		The Roxy

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I Do"	Evan Naess Palmer Reed Austin Brown Brian London Ashlee Simpson Verdine White	3:18
2.	"Paris"	Naess Brown Nazerine Henderson London Simpson	3:18
3.	"Safe Zone"		4:02
4.	"Tonic"	Naess Brown Henderson London Simpson	3:09
5.	"I Want You"	Naess Palmer Brown London Simpson White	3:24
6.	"Home"		2:28
Total length:			19:42

Charts

Chart (2018)	Peak position
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[11]	17

References

1. "Ashlee Simpson Ross and Evan Ross Share the Love and Inspiration Behind Their New Music and TV Show".
2. Cosgrove Baylis, Sheila (January 13, 2014). "Ashlee Simpson Engaged to Evan Ross". People. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
3. McNiece, Mia (August 31, 2014). "Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross Are Married". People. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
4. "Ashlee Simpson Kids: Singer Talks More Babies, Music With Evan Ross". 19 May 2016.
5. "Ashlee Simpson And Evan Ross On The Challenges Of Creating Music Together". 10 October 2018.
6. Kaplan, Ilana (11 September 2018). "Ashlee Simpson Is Ready to Start Over".
7. "Ashlee Simpson-Ross Announces New Single With Husband Evan Ross, 'I Do'".
8. "Ashlee Simpson & Evan Ross Make Billboard Chart Debut as a Duo With 'I Do'".
9. "For All The Lovers: Stream Ashlee Simpson & Evan Ross' Self-Titled EP". 12 October 2018.
10. Desk, TV News. "Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross Release Debut EP and Announce Tour Dates".
11. "Soundtrack Albums - October 27, 2018". Billboard. October 27, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2019. (subscription required)