Ashlee + Evan (EP)


Ashlee + Evan is the eponymous debut extended play 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.

Background and development

Early in the couple's relationship, they would frequently stay up until 3:00 AM singing songs together. The couple announced their engagement in January 2014 and were married on August 31, 2014. 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. 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.
For the EP, the duo "wanted to do something that felt organic". They drew inspiration from Simpson's love of American soul singers Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill, as well as Diana & Marvin, 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.

Singles

"I Do" was released as the first single from the EP on September 7, 2018. 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.

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.

Tour

Track listing

Charts