Ed Sheeran has confirmed that his new album is “done” and teased an upcoming single.
- READ MORE: Ed Sheeran – ‘Autumn Variations’ review: a pumpkin-spiced snoozer
Today (March 19), Sheeran shared a clip of himself in the studio with producer and songwriter Ilya Salmanzadeh (Lisa, Ariana Grande), with the video seeing him enthusiastically dance along to upcoming track ‘Azizam’, which he has also previewed with a thirty-second clip on YouTube.
Complete with backing from the Citizens Of The World Choir, Sheeran sings: “And if love’s just a game, come and play / Azizam / Meet me on the floor tonight / Show me how to move like the water / In between the dancing lights / Be my, be my Azizam,” over a dance beat.
The ‘Shape Of You’ hitmaker captioned the clip: “Album done. Single soon. I’m very excited as you can tell.”
The fresh update follows a surprise set on the streets of New Orleans, where he was joined by a brass band and initially debuted the new song.
On Monday, he performed a surprise acoustic set at a Boston pub to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, marking the latest in a series of impromptu performances from the ‘Perfect’ singer.
Last week, he surprised fans in Nashville by performing an impromptu set of his hits along with a cover of Britney Spears’ ‘…Baby One More Time’.
Likewise, back in February, videos emerged of police pulling the plug on him as he performed on a street in Bengaluru, India. Sheeran drew a large and enthusiastic crowd, but local authorities intervened due to concerns over performance permissions, though he later clarified that it had been planned in advance.
Meanwhile, the singer previously revealed that a new song called ‘Sapphire’ would be released in the coming months. He took to social media to respond 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.
