Ed Sheeran has confirmed that he has a new single coming next month, and has shared numerous titles of songs featured on his upcoming album.
The singer, songwriter and guitarist has been dropping hints with fans about new material over recent weeks, and has now taken things to the next level.
Last month, the ‘Shape Of You’ hitmaker got fans talking when he changed his profile photo on Instagram and hinted to fans that a new album – seemingly called ‘Play’ – would be “coming soon”. He had also shared suggestions of that title in late 2023, telling fans in the run-up to the new year: “See you sometime next year when we press Play again on pop, and have a good holiday season x.”
Now, it looks like new music from Sheeran is imminent, as he has shared lots of details with fans via a private Instagram account.
Responding to rumours that music would be coming on March 21, he told one follower: “I gotta be honest, it’s now been pushed back a week and a bit. Something massive came in that’s gonna help blow the song up, we’ve pushed it back. Forgive me, April now bruv.”
Welp, looks like we’re waiting for April now
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He then told another fan that his new album was completed and set to be shared under his own Gingerbread Man Records but distributed by Warner, and then told a third that his favourite of the new songs is one called ‘Old Phone’, which will appear as the fourth song on the tracklist.
Elsewhere, he seemingly confirmed that the currently unannounced album will also have songs called ‘Sapphire’ and ‘Azizam’, and that there will be two songs in two months. He then responded to a fan who asked which song of his he should play at his wedding, saying: “Depends when you’re getting married, coz there’s a fair few new options coming soon”.
The hints about new music come as Sheeran ended 2024 by revealing that he had already finished his next record. “It feels like I’m getting back into big pop for the first time in a long time,” he explained of the LP’s sound.
This came after Sheeran said last May that he had made some new material, but was waiting a little longer to share it. He told fans: “I released two records on tour last year and it’s quite a lot being on tour and releasing records. So, I’ve made the new music and I’m just going to sit on it for a bit.”
The forthcoming album will mark his first since 2023’s ‘Autumn Variations’, which marked the follow-up to the hit release ‘-‘ (‘Subtract’). The latter was said to be the final entry into Sheeran’s long-running mathematical-themed series.
“I’m going to make 10 symbol records,” he explained in 2022. “But the next five won’t be maths.”
That same year, Sheeran embarked on his mammoth ‘+–=÷× Tour’ (pronounced the ‘Mathematics Tour’). Continuing those shows into this year, the singer is set to play a run of European shows from May to September 2025 before finishing up the year with performances in Bhutan, India, Qatar and Bahrain.
Although the album supposedly called ‘Play’ will mark his first album since ‘Autumn Variations’, Sheeran has shared new music since then – dropping the festive track called ‘Under The Tree’ from Richard Curtis’ animated Netflix film That Christmas last year.
