First Time (EP)

''First Time'' is the debut extended play by English singer Liam Payne. Primarily produced by Di Genius, Burns, Jason Gill, Steve Fitzmaurice, Cutfather, MdL and Sly, it was released on 24 August 2018 by Capitol Records. Its title track, which features a guest appearance from American hip hop recording artist French Montana, was released on the same day as its lead single.

Background

In May 2017, Payne revealed that he had begun working on his first studio album. He was working with Ed Sheeran with an expected release date in January 2018, before it was pushed to 14 September 2018. However, on 16 August 2018, Payne announced that he was delaying the release of his debut studio album and decided to put out an EP instead. He also announced the release date of the EP. He posted a message on his social media, saying:

The EP contains four tracks, "Home with You", "Depend On It", "Slow" and the EP's lead single, " First Time".

Critical reception

''First Time'' was met with positive reviews from music critics. Chloe Gilke of Uproxx stated that the opening track "First Time", was Payne's "best iteration of club pop to date," feeling that "it could be a cut off Drake's ''Scorpion''. She also described "Depend On It" as a "lovely and heartbreaking ballad." However, she was critical on "Home with You" calling it "a bit of a snooze." Patrick Hosken of MTV noted that the EP "is primarily a showcase for Payne's voice."

Chart performance

''First Time'' was not eligible for the album charts in the UK and the songs from the EP failed to chart on the UK Singles Chart. However, the lead single peaked at number 68 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart. The EP peaked at number 12 on the US Digital Albums chart and number two on the US Heatseekers Albums chart.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.

* Liam Payne – vocals
* French Montana – vocals
* Di Genius – production
* Burns – production
* Randy Merrill – master engineering
* Oak Felder – engineering
* Jacob Richards – mixing assistance
* David Nakaji – mixing assistance
* Rashawn Mclean – mixing assistance
* Jaycen Joshua – mixing
* Jason Gill – production , bass guitar , drums , record engineering , synthesizer programming
* Phil Tan – mixing
* Benjamin Rice – record engineering
* Brandon Skeie – additional vocals
* Steve Fitzmaurice – production , record engineering
* Darren Heelis – bass guitar , mixing
* Jules Gulon – mixing assistance
* Will Purton – record engineering assistance
* Reuben James – piano
* Ben "Bengineer" Chang – vocal production
* Cutfather – production
* MdL – production
* Sly – production
* Bill Zimmerman – engineering

Charts

Release history

References

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2018 debut EPs
Liam Payne EPs
Albums produced by Cutfather
Albums produced by Jason Gill (musician)
Capitol Records EPs