Ed Sheeran has revealed that he has already finished his new album, and teased what fans can expect from the project.
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The singer-songwriter released two studio records in 2023 with ‘−’ (‘Subtract’) and ‘Autumn Variations’. Both LPs saw Aaron Dessner of The National take on production duties,
NME described the former as a “doleful and downbeat, melancholy and heartfelt” collection, and said that the latter was “a limp ending to this unique and curious creative cycle for Sheeran”.
During a new interview with Variety, the star confirmed that his next album is finished. “[‘−’ (‘Subtract’)] was obviously a completely different record that didn’t really call for big pop stuff,” he told the publication.
He was then asked what was in store for fans on his forthcoming record. “It feels like I’m getting back into big pop for the first time in a long time,” he responded. “It’s quite exciting.”
Sheeran was speaking to the outlet about his new festive song ‘Under The Tree’ from Richard Curtis’ animated film That Christmas.
“It’s nice to have something quintessentially British, but also that you can watch with young children,” he said of being involved in the project.
In a previous statement, Sheeran explained: “I’ve been mates with Richard Curtis for years, and we’ve done a load of fun work for charity, and then both were heavily involved in the movie Yesterday. He came to me two years ago to play me the rough [version] of That Christmas. It was just sketches and voices, but it blew me away. So emotional, yet so heartwarmingly funny, like all Richard Curtis movies.
“I find since having kids, there’s a real lack of great animated children’s Christmas movies, so I thought this was such an amazing thing to make and put into the world. The scene that we wrote this song for is so heartbreaking, but so real for many people at Christmas spending it without the ones they love, for so many reasons.”
In other news, the ‘Shape Of You’ artist recently announced shows in Bhutan, India, Bahrain and Qatar as part of his ‘Mathematics’ tour.
The scheduled gig at Changlimithang Stadium marks a first for Bhutan, as the country has never played host to an international artist before. Later, it was revealed that tickets for this historic gig started at $10.
Elsewhere, Sheeran has been outspoken about his involvement in the 2024 ‘Ultimate Mix’ of the Band Aid charity single. He said he would have declined the use of his vocals on the new version if asked, arguing that “my understanding of the narrative associated with this has changed”.
In response, Band Aid organiser Bob Geldof has rigorously defended the song, saying that “this little pop song has kept millions of people alive”. Geldof later said he was looking to “have a talk” with Sheeran about their dispute.
