Play time!

English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is releasing his eighth studio album, Play, tomorrow.

The pop project is expected to explore the sonic threads that connect Indian, Persian and Irish folk music. This experimental direction can be heard in his hit singles Azizam and Sapphire, which include Persian and Punjabi musical influences respectively.

In an interview, the artist revealed that the new album will feature a lot of Indian instruments as it was recorded across continents and completed in Goa, India.

“Most of the record has Indian instruments all over it, so we’ve got tablas on most songs, sitars on the last song, and santoors on a lot of songs,” he revealed. “It is a pop album, but all the instrumentation on it, is sort of from everywhere,” he added.

Lyrically, the singer shared that he wanted to create ‘joy and technicolour’, while also tackling a rollercoaster of emotions that reflect his life as a ‘human, partner and father’.

Play marks the first of Ed’s five symbol-themed albums, with titles based on electronic media buttons Pause, Fast Forward, Rewind, and Stop set to eventually follow it.

Prior to the new release, he completed his mathematical-themed album collection, which included Plus (2011), Multiply (2014), Divide (2017), Equals (2021) and Subtract (2023).

The creative talent has been writing music since the age of 11. He started his career independently releasing EPs (extended plays) in hopes to be signed to a record label. In 2011, he released the EP No. 5 Collaborations Project, which earned him mainstream attention and a record deal.

The musician’s live shows stand out for their simplicity, as they are one-man shows including only the guitarist, a keyboard and a loop pedal, a recording and playback music tool.

He performed in Bahrain earlier this year as well as last year as part of his Mathematics tour.