Ed Sheeran is tapping into the power of memory and mourning with “Old Phone,” his upcoming single due this week — and he’s doing it through one of his most personal projects yet: a nostalgic Instagram account called @teddysoldphone.
Quietly launched over the past month, the account has been sharing over 200 archival images and screenshots pulled from the singer’s old phone — a device he hadn’t touched since 2015. The emotional journey started when Sheeran was forced to revisit that phone during the Thinking Out Loud copyright trial in 2024. Though he was ultimately cleared of plagiarism allegations related to Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On, the process unearthed a wellspring of forgotten memories and grief.
“Turning it on really spun me out,” Sheeran wrote in a now-public caption. “I found myself crying at messages to friends who are now dead… It felt like a time capsule.”
One of the first things he saw? A message from the late Jamal Edwards — a longtime friend and the SBTV founder who gave Sheeran one of his earliest platforms. Other messages came from former lovers, distant family, and collaborators like Mac Miller, Taylor Swift, and Elton John. It’s this emotional excavation that formed the basis for Old Phone, a song Sheeran says “could’ve been on my debut album, but I couldn’t have written it until I’d lived through real life.”
The new track, set to release on Thursday at 11 a.m. ET, will be the second single from Sheeran’s upcoming LP Play, following the global success of Azizam, a vibrant track inspired by Persian culture and producer Illya Salmanzadeh’s heritage.
The Teddy’s Old Phone account paints a raw portrait of fame, loss, and time. Among the standout posts:
- A selfie with Harry Styles at the London 2012 Olympics
- A handwritten lyric note from the Bloodstream sessions
- A message from his dad after playing with Stevie Wonder
- Personal photos with Taylor Swift, Usher, Calvin Harris, and the members of One Direction
“I hope it makes you emotional too,” Sheeran wrote. “Maybe it makes you switch on your old phone and have a look at where you were a decade ago.”
Sheeran’s Play album has yet to receive a release date, but with two singles already out and a narrative this personal, anticipation is high.