Simone Ashley Is Playing The Long Game

Simone Ashley is still basking in the glow of her first summer in New York. After moving to town last year, she hit the ground running, splitting her time between playing Miranda Priestly’s assistant Amari in The Devil Wears Prada 2 and making her debut EP, aptly titled Songs I Wrote in New York.

The balancing act made for some delightful dinnertime catch-ups with friends. “They’d be like, ‘How was set today?’ And I’d be telling them, like, ‘Oh, my God, this scene with Meryl Streep, I was so nervous,’” Ashley recalls to Bustle over Zoom. “That was the magic — to be able to just go home and share it with the people around me.”

Now, she’s getting ready to share it with the world. Between Prada (May 1) and Songs I Wrote in New York (out now), the 31-year-old is flexing her multi-hyphenate chops. On Ashley’s stripped-down EP, she lets listeners in on her earnest side. In “Sublime,” she begins with her spoken observations about “couples doing couple things” and wanting the same for herself. On the dreamy lead single “Free,” she sings about getting out of her head and embracing a new connection.

“Giving something a go and throwing your heart out there is the coolest thing that you can do,” she says.

Although some songs were penned with surprising ease (“Free” and “Sublime” came together instantly, Ashley says), the entertainer isn’t angling to be an overnight pop fixture. Rather than proving herself all at once, she hopes that her music will “burn slowly” — perhaps not unlike her star-making Bridgerton love story, where she and Jonathan Bailey played a pair of long-simmering yearners.

Expect more soon, including her first full album by the end of the year. “I am really aware that I’m stepping into something where it’s years and years and hours of work,” Ashley says. “I take that very seriously. In no way am I trying to shortcut this.”

Below, Ashley opens up about tour plans, The Devil Wears Prada 2, and why she’s forever loyal to her Bridgerton family.

You grew up doing music — what brought you back into it?

I started training for singing when I was 7, before acting. My mum spent hours dropping me off at music lessons, paying for them, and I wanted to honor that. I don’t like looking back regretfully, like, Oh, I wish I gave this a go.

[But] three, four years ago at the Cannes Film Festival with my agent, Donovan [Tatum], I just remember sitting with him going, “Hey, this is something that I would love to try. I feel like I’m at a place with the team around me and my career where maybe now’s a good time to look into it.” I started planting the seeds.

This EP was inspired by your move to the city. What has that experience been like for you?

It’s been amazing. Working in New York, full stop, is such a privilege. I always came for press or other work things — I would fly in, do the work, stay in a hotel, and then leave. So I never really experienced the city. And moving here last summer, I developed a community and relationships. Living in New York has changed my life, and it’s made me grow into the kind of woman I am now. It’s a massive chapter in my life that I wanted to document.

Your Devil Wears Prada character, Amari, is a New York girlie, too. What should we know about her?

Everyone keeps saying, “Oh, she’s the new Emily.” Emily Blunt’s character in the first movie was so nervous and anxious, and the pressure was on — she really wanted to go to Paris Fashion Week. So everything came from this ball of anxiety. And I would say Amari is kind of the opposite. She’s very confident and knows what she’s doing, and has such an educated opinion in her workspace. [Screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna] and I were like, “She’s that it girl in the office.” I think we wanted to create a character that was slightly mysterious, but also inspirational.

Four years after your debut on Bridgerton, what does it mean to you to see that fandom still rallying for you so hard?

I’m so lucky and so grateful. And you know, the music is really for them. The art is one thing, but once it’s out there, it’s about community. And if I can influence in a positive way young women — and especially women that look like me — then I feel like I’m doing something great with my art. I mean, Bridgerton changed my life. [It] was really the big pivot moment. I just adore being part of the show, and I will always be so loyal to it and come back.

Last year I spoke to your on-screen husband, Jonathan Bailey, and we were joking about the idea of a Bridgerton musical episode — and he immediately was like, “Yes, Simone can sing!”

Jonny can sing, Luke can sing — everyone can sing! It’s crazy.

Obviously, fans want more of you as Kate — is that something looking ahead toward Season 5 that you know what to expect?

I don’t think any of us know what to expect storylinewise or what our involvement is. But yeah, I think me and Jonny will always come back. We will always make it work.

How do you feel about performing live? Is this something you’d like to take on tour and share with fans?

Totally. I start band rehearsals when I wrap on the press tour. I’m back in vocal training. I’m writing the rest of the album. We’re shooting a music video. There’s so much more coming, and in no way is this an overnight thing.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.