STACK #251 September 2025

MUSIC FEATURE

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“I t’s colourful, bright, celebratory and explorative,” Ed Sheeran explains when asked about his new album, Play . “I travelled the world and made it with many cultures and musicians from everywhere, so it’s very much a world album.” The English superstar was inspired by his journeys, recording in English, Punjabi, and Persian. “I feel like music is constantly The New Ed Era begins with Play . Words Jeff Jenkins

learning,” he says. “I love learning about music and different cultures the more I travel. It’s like opening a door to a completely new and exciting world.” The 34-year-old singer songwriter – who releases music through his own label, Gingerbread Man Records – says Play is his return to “big pop”. First single Azizam is a translates to “my beloved”), featuring Iranian and Indian artists. “It showed me that music connects us all and really is a universal language.” The song was inspired by Ed’s love for his wife, Cherry Seaborn. joyous piece of Persian inspired pop (the title

JUST PUSH PLAY After Ed’s

mathematical run of records – Plus , Multiply , Divide , Equals , and Subtract – Play is the start of a new series of albums. Still to come: Pause , Fast Forward , Rewind , and Stop .

Again, Ed is not afraid to share his life with his listeners. “I’ve always written about things that have happened in my

Photo credit: Petros Studios

life,” he told 60 Minutes in the lead-up to the release. “My entire career has always been me going, ‘This is what’s going on in my life.’” Ed recorded Sapphire in Goa in India, while he wrote Old Phone after finding an old phone that he hadn’t used since 2015. “It was like going into a time machine,” he notes. When he fired it up, he discovered messages

from his friend Jamal Edwards, who died in 2022, as well as an argument with an ex, and messages from distant family members. “It really spun me out.” How does Ed know he’s crafted another

I’ve always written about things that have happened in my life

classic song? “It’s the feeling, there’s no better feeling. It’s way better than being on stage.

SEPTEMBER 2025

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