In perhaps the ultimate example of musical forethought, Ed Sheeran has written into his last will and testament instructions for releasing a posthumous album after he dies.
Sheeran revealed the fascinating plan during an interview with Zane Lowe, who was asking the singer-songwriter about his plans for his next series of albums, starting with Play (out today, Sept. 12). Keeping up the titular theme, Sheeran plans to follow the LP with Pause, Fast Forward, Rewind, and Stop. When Lowe naturally asked if Stop would be the last album, Sheeran replied: “Well, no. It actually would be Stop and then Eject.”
As Lowe laughed at the notion, Sheeran insisted, “It’s actually in my will! And Cherry [Seaborn, Sheeran’s wife] gets to pick the tracks for it. It’s fully in there if I was to go tomorrow.”
Sheeran went on to explain to a flabbergasted Lowe that he wanted Eject to contain songs he’s written “from the age of 18 to when I pass away — just choose the 10 best.”
He continued: “Imagine if Paul McCartney dies and there’s early 16-year-old Beatles recordings, and then right up to [his death] — the 10 best of his entire career. Lots of people won’t like that of me. But there’ll be lots of my fans that would find that super-interesting.”
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As Sheeran noted, most posthumous albums are “sort of unplanned,” and he was aiming to counteract this with such meticulous advanced planning. He said he would “talk to Cherry throughout my life” about the songs he likes most, adding, “I don’t want to go and someone just to jumble up stuff and put it out. I want it to be planned.”
All that said, Sheeran did see Stop as being a final album of sorts, at least similar to the way Jay-Z made The Black Album, as if it were his final album. “I’m not saying [Stop] will be my final album,” Sheeran explained. “I think I’ll probably still make music from there, but I think. It has to be made with the same level of care and attention. I love The Black Album, and it’s because he’s like, ‘This is my last thing I’m giving to the world.’”
