Early Wednesday night, I found Finneas O’Connell in a pair of faded jeans with a sharpie in hand, signing records in Central Park. He was preparing to play the second show with his collaborator Ashlyn Willson, who performs as Ashe, and there was an air of excitement at the park’s SummerStage as their fans lined up outside of the gates. Willson and O’Connell were in casual garb when we sat down to talk backstage in the daylight, but by 8 pm, they hit the stage in champagne and gold—Willson in intricately beaded Veronica Beard, and O’Connell in a cleaned-up pair of Wranglers, a velvet blazer from Suit Supply, an Yves Saint Laurent tie, and John Hardy jewelry.
Last night marked their second performance of songs from The Dream, their debut album as The Favors. It’s a departure for O’Connell, from both his work as a solo artist and as a co-writer and producer for his sister, Billie Eilish. As The Favors, O’Connell and Willson are playing a type of rock music that feels inherently social, loud, and exciting—but the project began in secret, and as a half-joke. Willson texted O’Connell a hypothetical, on a lark—what if we started a band? Six months later, they were one.
“I remember early on being like, ‘Let’s not tell our teams, I don’t want anyone to get their grubby hands on it,’” Willson told VF. She says that the air of friendly collaboration has enhanced her own enjoyment of the music. “This is the first album I’ve made that once it’s out, I’m still devouring it, and I think it’s because in so many ways, I’m not just listening to myself.”
The album was conceived as a one-off, and O’Connell and Willson don’t seem to have decided whether they’ll be doing any more work as The Favors. But their onstage chemistry as a band is undeniable, and O’Connell said he’s been getting a good reaction from people he trusts. “My friends are hitting me up about this record—the ones who don’t normally do that,” he said.
Before the show, Willson was feeling hopeful. “It’s nice that we don’t have to carry the load by ourselves in this one,” she said. “Finneas is going to go on and make more solo records, as will I. But we have this special little moment where we can lean on each other—and I want more of that.”
Later on, O’Connell described the genesis of the album in a slightly more poetic way. “Ashe and I have all these ghost stories about New York,” he told the audience. “We kept on telling them to each other, and that’s how this album came together.”
The Favors, which includes bandmates David Marinelli and Ricky Gourmet, are touring, but it’s is a strictly limited engagement. On September 18, they played a show on the stage attached to Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, and they’ll be playing one final show as a part of the Austin City Limits festival this weekend. The rarity of the moment was reflected in the night’s crowd: O’Connell shouted out his longtime girlfriend Claudia Sulewski—his fiancée as of last week—and his parents, Maggie Baird and Patrick O’Connell, who were all in the audience. The VIP platform was full of the band’s friends, including actors Skylar Gisondo and Julianna Joel.
O’Connell and Willson were comfortable on stage, switching positions from center stage to behind the piano and sipping from their personal cocktails. “Can I take my shoes off?” Willson asked with a laugh, before slipping them off. The night ended with a tandem dance, choreographed in advance.
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The post Finneas and Ashe Reveal That They Started The Favors In Secret—Now They’re Storming the Stage appeared first on Vanity Fair.
