Ed Sheeran is celebrating the forthcoming release of his album Play by releasing its latest single, “Old Phone.”
The four-time Grammy Award winner announced Thursday that his next record will be out September 12. To celebrate the occasion, he also released the project’s second single.
Sheeran opened up about the inspiration behind Play in an Instagram post where he admitted the “album that was made as a direct response to the darkest period of my life,” which prompted him to “to create joy and technicolour, and explore cultures in the countries I was touring” while creating the record.
“I made this record all over the world, finished it in Goa, India, and had some of the most fun, explorative creative days of my life,” he wrote. “It’s a real rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish, it encapsulates everything that I love about music, and the fun in it, but also where I am in life as a human, a partner, a father.”
Almost a month prior to his announcement, Sheeran dropped “Azizam,” the album’s first single that was produced by Ilyah Salmanzadeh, who’s worked with the likes of Ariana Grande, Charli xcx and Tate Mcrae. The idea for the new track came when the producer “suggested trying out making music inspired by his Persian heritage and culture,” Sheeran shared on Instagram. “Azizam” is a term of endearment that means “my dear.”
Play’s tracklist includes both “Azizam” and “Old Phone,” totaling to 13 tracks with no reported features.
The singer-songwriter’s last album, Autumn Variations, released in 2023 and landed at No. 4 on Billboard’s 200 Albums chart