Ashe and Finneas wear ’70s-style pieces to match the vibe of their album. Photo courtesy of  Live Nation.

SAMANTHA RITTENBERG | STAFF REPORTER | srittenberg@butler.edu 

Ashlyn Rae Willson, widely known as Ashe, and Finneas O’Connell, best known for being Billie Eilish’s brother, co-writer and producer, are making a new era of music together in their band, The Favors. Along with Ashe and Finneas, two other members make up the group — David Marinelli on drums and Ricky Gourmet on guitar. The folksy pop band just released their first album, “The Dream”, on Sept. 19. 

“The Dream” encompasses 12 songs that are a mix of upbeat and mellow tunes. The album starts with “Restless Little Heart”, a 55-second song that almost sounds like the opening track to a movie. This is not by coincidence; Ashe described in an interview how the album is intended to tell a story, with her and Finneas as the scriptwriters.

The Favors may be a new band, but Ashe and Finneas have been friends and prominent solo artists for years. The pair met on a New York City crosswalk in 2017. A couple of months later, they sat down for their first music session together. 

Finneas produced Ashe’s song, “Moral of the Story”, which became a viral sensation after it was featured in “To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You” in 2020. The two also collaborated on “Till Forever Falls Apart”, which has amassed over 429 million streams on Spotify. Little did they know that was only the beginning of something incredible.

In 2022, at a time when Ashe felt stuck — and thought she may be done with the music world altogether — suddenly the idea came to her to start a band with Finneas. 

The Favors debuted their first song, “The Little Mess You Made”, on June 6, 2025, four days after they officially announced their band. The song blew up on TikTok before it was even released, with their behind-the-scenes video gaining over 1.1 million views.

When Finneas wrote “The Little Mess You Made”, he was not sure it fit for The Favors. However, the second he heard Ashe’s voice singing his lyrics, he knew it was going to be the perfect first song for their band. 

Rather than overlaying the vocals — which most recording artists opt for — Finneas and Ashe recorded “The Little Mess You Made” together in the same room. This creative choice led to a new level of emotional depth. 

Junior biology major Sarah Morales mentioned one of the challenges that can come with small, tight-knit bands. 

“[The Favors’] music aligns with Fleetwood Mac and Daisy Jones and the Six,” Morales said. “I feel like there’s a new genre of that. The only problem is, they are doing lots of [romantic] songs where they are singing to each other, face-to-face. They are getting really close and intimate.”

Fans love seeing that their favorite artists have a close bond outside of work, but a messy Fleetwood Mac situation is not ideal. Both artists in The Favors are in seemingly happy relationships. Ashe is engaged to fiancé John Canada, and Finneas is going on seven years with girlfriend Claudia Sulewski.

Both Ashe and Finneas have been releasing solo music for years and have amassed dedicated fan bases with millions of people. 2020 was a significant year for both of them, with Ashe’s “Moral of the Story” going viral and Finneas taking home five Grammy awards.

Jaclyn McNelis, a junior astronomy and astrophysics major, has been a fan of Ashe since high school and has watched the artist, as well as her music, evolve. 

“[Ashe] has definitely found her own kind of style and way of writing,” McNelis said. “[She has] gotten more mature and aware of her own feelings and how to write about them. [When she performs], she does not have her shoes on, which I think is kind of funny. She is very into it and all about the music.”

The Favors take inspiration from the ‘70s, ranging from their music style to the outfits they wear for photoshoots to their album cover. The sounds of the album take on a classic nature, making old school music sound new again. “The Little Mess You Made” music video was filmed in a classic midcentury house with earthy tones and carpeted rooms. 

Since canceling her 2023 tour for her second album, “Rae”, for mental health reasons, Ashe has become more selective about where she performs. When she released her album, “Willson”, in 2024, Ashe did not plan a tour. However, she has recently started to dip her toes back, she has slowly dipped her toes back into the performing scene and done a select few shows. 

Junior English major Brodie Forman was lucky enough to recently see Ashe perform live at Bourbon and Beyond in Louisville, Kentucky.

“[The Favors’ music] definitely [fits] her vibe, [and] it felt very cohesive with the stuff she does,” Forman said. “She played ‘The Hudson’ and one of the other songs that had already been released, [and] there was no crazy switch between her [music] and [songs she and Finneas] have done together. It all flowed together really well.”

The band is kicking off their new adventure with three live shows in Los Angeles, New York City and Austin, Texas, where they will be performing both the album and popular hits by the singers. Fans hope this is just the start of the band’s successful journey to stardom. 

The Favors’ “The Dream” is now available on music streaming platforms and in stores.