Ed Sheeran Unveils His New Album Play: It Celebrates Love, Life, Culture

English singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran released his new album titled Play. It is his eighth studio album, after a gap of two years. Sheeran announced it just weeks before his tour in the United States. The four-time Grammy winner penned a lengthy note for his fans on social media announcing his new album.

Ed Sheeran's new album

On Friday, Ed shared a few BTS videos and pics while sharing the release of Play. He wrote, "Play is the album that’s made me fall in love with fun again. Writing and recording Subtract was so cathartic but also so heavy. Going into Stereo after Mathematics ended I wanted to start with the polar opposite."

The 34-year-old singer said that his new album "celebrates love, life, culture, exploring, creativity and technicolour."

"I’ve loved making this record and the last 6 months have been just what I needed to get back into the swing of things - to reheat my love for pop, and popping up. It’s an album I’m immensely proud of, and just makes me feel good. I hope it does the same for you," he added.

Ed concluded his post by thanking all his "insanely talented collaborators, and all the fans along the journey who have been at all our pop ups."

"More to come. Play is out now, lemme know in the comments what your fav song is x".

Ed has taken inspiration from Indian and Persian musical cultures and has collaborated with musician and producers from all across the globe. Play has five singles: Azizam, Old Phone, Sapphire, A Little More, and Camera. He will start promoting his album on the Loop Tour in December 2025 across Europe and Oceania.

Play comes after Ed's seventh studio album Autumn Variations, which was released in 2023, and the greatest hits album +-=÷× (Tour Collection) in 2024.