Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Ashley Simpson, Evan Ross aim to be new dynamic duo
by Jerry Nunn, Windy City Times
2019-01-08

This article shared 7263 times since Tue Jan 8, 2019
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Singers, actors and reality stars are just a few ways to describe celebrity couple Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross.

Many may know Simpson as the younger sister of Jessica Simpson who began acting on the TV show 7th Heaven. She spun off from Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica to The Ashlee Simpson Show on reality television. As a singer, she released "Pieces of Me" to big success and followed that with other albums. She began dating Ross in 2013 and married a year later. They had a daughter together named Jagger Snow Ross a year after that.

Ross made his acting debut on the dramatic film ATL, then went on to fight in the first two parts of The Hunger Games. He currently has a major role on Fox series Star as Angel Rivera. In real life, he's the son of Arne Næss Jr. and superstar singer Diana Ross. He has one full brother and three older half-sisters, including actress Tracee Ellis Ross, who co-stars on the TV series black-ish.

Now the young couple have come together as a singing duo, with Ashlee+Evan releasing an album of that name. The six track EP was produced by Verdin White ( of Earth Wind & Fire ) and were featured on their E! docu-series, Ashlee+Evan.

Windy City Times: I'm glad we got to talk before the holidays.

Ashlee Simpson: It's getting wild. We are in the middle of Christmas shopping and rehearsing.

Evan Ross: We start the tour on Jan. 7 and are with you guys on Jan. 12.

WCT: Have you spent much time in Chicago?

AS: I have and you have too, Evan.

ER: We love Chicago. I have a lot of friends that are excited that we are coming out that way.

WCT: Do you ride in a tour bus or stay in hotels?

ER: Right now we are looking at a tour bus and hotels. For Chicago, we are staying at a hotel.

AS: I love a tour bus though. It puts me right to sleep!

WCT: What was the concept behind making the EP?

ER: We have been making music together for a long time. I have been working a lot and we have been all over the place. In the process of that we stopped making music. Ashlee got pregnant and had a baby. We finally got to make this album and wanted to make something special that we could share with the world. It is about love and the conversation of love. Right, babe?

AS: Yeah, and for us it was a chance to work together and have that space together. I think that was inspiring for us. Although we have our solo things, getting to do something together was a very powerful thing for us.

WCT: I heard elements of different genres of music in it.

ER: Oh yeah. We got pop, R&B, funk and hip-hop.

AS: That was fun, getting inspirations from each other and putting that together. By not putting a certain genre on our music we explored each other's sounds.

WCT: Was the song "Paris" inspired by the place?

ER: That was a trip we were on when we first were engaged and I was shooting Hunger Games there. It was the most amazing trip ever. She was looking for a wedding dress there at the same time. When we were in the studio and coming up with the production it felt like the vibe we had in Paris.

AS: When we perform that song live it is one of our favorites. It just feels good.

WCT: How did it work to make the album and also be on a reality show at the same time?

ER: The whole point of that show was to document the process of making the album. It was to see where we were at during that time.

AS: We wanted to show something positive and our love along with the process of going through that. We were happy with it.

WCT: How does having kids work with touring?

AS: We are not on tour too long so it will work out. We are going to bring them to certain shows so that will be fun.

ER: I grew up on tour a lot and it was a great experience. For the time period we are doing it is not the longest. I think they will have fun doing it. We might start the tour a few days without them then have them come in.

WCT: Ashlee, are you singing "Pieces of Me?"

AS: I am. I will have a moment of old-school songs. So every night I will do three of them!

WCT: Evan, what did you learn from being in the movie Life Support, playing a gay man struggling with AIDS?

ER: Life Support was one of my favorite projects I ever worked on. Nelson George directed and wrote that project. It is actually the story about his sister who had HIV. I learned so much from that and it was so important. I was so proud to be a part of it and the message behind it.

AS: It was amazing.

WCT: I heard you went to the gay bar The Abbey in LA with your mother, Diana Ross.

ER: What is so funny is that my mom doesn't go out like that. She just called me up and asked me to go to the club with her. When I found out it was The Abbey, I knew she would have a good time. She danced all night and I had to tell her it was time to go.

WCT: Ashlee has some gay fans, too.

AS: They are my faves!

WCT: We need to get the gay crowd to the concert.

AS: Yaaas, queen!

ER: We can't wait.

WCT: Do you want to perform in more musicals, Ashlee, like in the musical Chicago?

AS: That was amazing. I did Chicago a lot. I did it at the West End when I was 22. I did it in New York when I was 25 and then here at the Hollywood Bowl. It came into my life at different times. I love Bob Fosse and everything about that dancing.

I would love to do theater again. It is eight shows a week though. It is a grueling schedule, but so worth it. I will definitely do it again in my life.

WCT: Have you two ever thought of doing a variety show, like Sonny & Cher?

AS: That would be so fun.

ER: That's a great idea.

WCT: You could bring in family members, perform skits and sing "I Got You Babe."

AS: There you go!

WCT: Any resolutions for the new year?

AS: I want to make a new album and tour more. I want to get pregnant at some point—maybe the end of the year.

ER: I want to focus on the clothing line. I need to dive into what I want to do personally for myself. I want to make one resolution that I am going to stick through this year.

WCT: What is the clothing line?

ER: Ashlee and I have both worked on it. It is unisex and unique. I have been trying to create it for a while. It just hasn't been the right time.

AS: This could be it!

WCT: What have you both learned about growing up in the spotlight that you can bring to your kids?

ER: I was very lucky that my mom told me I could do anything I want and to dream big, to do what you love first and don't do it for money. That is a real thing.

AS: My parents were great and we are all still the same. They kept a good head on our shoulders. No matter what you do in life focusing on that is always important.

WCT: Anything else you want to say about the tour?

AS: We are excited.

ER: We can't wait. Maybe we will do something fun and go out after. At the show people will get to have a special moment with us that will be intimate.

Ashlee Simpson + Evan Ross hit Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln Ave., on Satuday, Jan. 12. Look for tickets AshleeandEvan.com or LH-ST.com .


This article shared 7263 times since Tue Jan 8, 2019
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

'Rumors' performers create alternative drag playground 2024-03-24
- At first glance, Dorian's Through The Record Shop (1939 W. North Ave.) looks like a brightly-lit shop with a handful of records on the wall, but there's a secret world behind those unassuming shelves. Visitors are ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Queer musicians, Marvel situation, Elliot Page, Nicole Kidman 2024-03-21
- Queer musician Joy Oladokun released the single "I Wished on the Moon," from Jack Antonoff's official soundtrack for the new Apple TV+ series The New Look, per a press release. The soundtrack, ...


Gay News

THEATER Chicago's City Lit has anxiety on tap with 'Two Hours in a Bar' 2024-03-21
- Two Hours in a Bar Waiting for Tina Meyer by Kristine Thatcher with material by Larry Shue Text Me by Kingsley Day (Book, Music and Lyrics). At: City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.. Tickets: ...


Gay News

Lollapalooza announces lineup; SZA, Skrillex among headliners 2024-03-19
- Lollapalooza has released its line-up for the event that's taking place Aug. 1-4 at Grant Park. Headliners include SZA, Blink-182, Skrillex, The Killers, Hozier, Melanie Martinez and Stray Kids, among others. Some of the other acts ...


Gay News

Jamie Barton brings nuances of identity to her Lyric Opera 'Aida' performance 2024-03-18
- Chicago's Lyric Opera is currently featuring a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida starring Michelle Bradley as Aida, Jamie Barton as Amneris and Russell Thomas as Radamès. The opera runs through April 7, 2024, with Francesca Zambello ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition' 2024-03-15
- Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...


Gay News

House-music festival on Aug. 30-Sept. 1; icons, Idris Elba to be part of it 2024-03-13
- The ARC Music Festival—an event celebrating house music—will take place Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at Chicago's Union Park, per WGN-TV. This will mark the fourth year that the festival will celebrate the genre at Union Park—less than ...


Gay News

COBRAH slithers into Chicago and brings Feminine Energy 2024-03-08
- COBRAH snaked her way into Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St., for two nights March 7 and 8 for her Succubus Tour. This Swedish-born talent has a way with naughty words and ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Jinkx Monsoon, Xavier Dolan, 'Frida,' Lena Waithe, out singer 2024-03-08
- Two-time RuPaul's Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon is headed back to the New York stage, joining off-Broadway's Little Shop of Horrors as Audrey beginning April 2, according to Playbill. The casting makes Monsoon the first drag ...


Gay News

Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez is set to slay at The Big Gay Cabaret 2024-03-05
- Out and proud performer Jai Rodriguez is set to play at The Big Gay Cabaret this March for three days. Presented by RuPaul Drag Racer Ginger Minj, this monthly series highlights the wide world of cabaret ...


Gay News

THEATER 'R & J' puts a female, queer spin on Shakespeare 2024-03-05
- Romeo and Juliet is the theatrical gift that keeps on giving. It's been reworked for the masses numerous times, whether in direct adaptations or musicals such as West Side Story. Shakespeare's plotline points have even inspired ...


Gay News

THEATER When growth is paramount: Jim Corti helps fuel Aurora theater expansion 2024-03-01
- Out actor/director/choreographer Jim Corti made his Broadway debut in 1974, in the ensemble of Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide. Director Harold Prince's acclaimed Tony Award-winning revival is often cited as a ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Queer actors, icons duet, Hunter Schafer, Oscars, Elizabeth Taylor 2024-03-01
- Queer actor Kal Penn is set to star in Trust Me, I'm a Doctor—a film that chronicles the final days of actress/model Anna Nicole Smith, whose overdose death in 2007 at age 39 sparked a tabloid ...


Gay News

'Always Olivia' celebrates Olivia Newton-John at Raue Center 2024-02-26
- From a press release: Always Olivia, a tribute to one of the most celebrated and beloved pop culture icons of all time, the late Olivia Newton-John comes to Raue Center in Crystal Lake on Saturday, May ...


Gay News

Samuel Savoir-Faire Williams's violin stylings help COH mark Black History Month 2024-02-23
- As part of its celebration of Black History Month, Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., presented a solo jazz performance by violinist Samuel Savoir-Faire Williams on Feb. 21. The two-hour long performance presented a showcase ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.