Ed Sheeran has pressed “Play” on a brand-new chapter of his career. His eighth studio album, Play, officially arrived on September 12, 2025, marking a shift away from his blockbuster “Mathematics” series.
The 13-track record blends Sheeran’s signature songwriting with global influences, particularly Indian and Persian sounds, creating a colorful and emotionally layered project. Alongside the album release, Sheeran also dropped the official video for Camera, starring Phoebe Dynevor.
What Inspired Play?
In an Instagram post earlier this year, Sheeran described the album as:
“A direct response to the darkest period of my life. Coming out of all that I just wanted to create joy and technicolour, and explore cultures in the countries I was touring.”
Those cultural explorations shine through in tracks like Sapphire—a duet with Indian superstar Arijit Singh that weaves together English, Hindi, and Punjabi lyrics. Songs such as Azizam (titled after the Farsi word for “my darling”) and Symmetry also showcase tabla, santoor, and sitar textures, bringing new flavors to Sheeran’s pop framework.
Highlights & Standout Tracks
Camera – A soaring power ballad destined for wedding playlists.
A Little More – An unexpectedly fiery track where Sheeran vents anger, breaking from his usual romantic tone.
Symmetry – A fusion of Eastern percussion and modern sub-bass that pushes Sheeran into new sonic territory.
In Other Words – An intimate piano ballad capturing the beauty of domestic life.
Don’t Look Down – A collaboration with Fred Again, combining bansuri flutes with pulsing house beats.
While Play experiments with new sounds, critics note that Sheeran often retreats to safer ground, balancing adventurous moments with familiar acoustic ballads. This duality ensures broad streaming appeal while still offering glimpses of artistic risk-taking.
Closing the Mathematics Era, Opening The Loop Tour
Play also represents closure: Sheeran ended his +−=÷× Tour (Mathematics Tour) in Düsseldorf earlier this month, wrapping up more than 160 global shows since 2022. With Play, he pivots to a new era, launching The Loop Tour in December across Europe, followed by stadium dates in Australia and New Zealand in early 2026.
Commercially, expectations are high—every Sheeran studio album to date has topped charts in the UK and Australia. Whether Play will match the cultural dominance of Divide or the intimacy of Subtract remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: Sheeran isn’t done reinventing himself.
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