LONDON, UK — May 8, 2025 — After closing the curtain on his blockbuster Mathematics tour, Ed Sheeran is entering a vibrant new chapter. With his newly announced album Play set for release in September 2025, the global superstar is returning with fresh inspiration, international collaborations, and a renewed commitment to joy and artistic experimentation.
Sheeran’s lead single, “Old Phone”, is already striking a chord with fans. A hauntingly reflective track, it invites listeners to sit with the artist as he powers on a phone untouched since 2015—stirring up memories of lost friends, fractured relationships, and faded family ties. The result is a poignant acoustic ballad that blends Sheeran’s early songwriting sincerity with the emotional depth of someone shaped by time and transformation.
“Old Phone” isn’t just a song—it’s a snapshot of Sheeran reconciling with his past and confronting the shifting sands of identity. The track’s warm guitar lines and intimate vocals echo the DNA of Sheeran’s earliest hits, but with the maturity and vulnerability that only come with experience.
Speaking on the album’s creation, Sheeran shared, “Play was made as a direct response to the darkest period of my life. Coming out of all that, I just wanted to create joy and technicolour, and explore the cultures of the countries I was touring.”
Crafted across various global backdrops—most notably in Goa, India—Play channels the energy of street jams, festival beats, and cross-cultural influences. The album marks a shift in tone: lighter, brighter, and more freewheeling than anything Sheeran has released before.
“It encapsulates everything I love about music, but also where I am in life—as a human, a partner, and a father,” he explained. “I just want everything I do to be fun and playful—so we’re building pubs for folk jams, playing gigs on open-top buses, and singing in pink cowboy hats on bars. The older I get, the more I want to savour the madness.”
The highly anticipated album follows Sheeran’s global hit “Azizam”, which showcased his embrace of Middle Eastern sonics. Play promises a dynamic mix of upbeat anthems, acoustic storytelling, and unexpected genre fusions.
As Ed Sheeran enters this new era, Play isn’t just an album title—it’s a mission statement.
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