First Time (EP)


First Time is the first extended play by the 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 the best-selling EP in the UK 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.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.