Ed Sheeran Announces 8th Studio Album, 'Play', out September 12
- Mikaila Storrs
- May 1
- 2 min read
Ed Sheeran is kicking things into high gear with the announcement of his brand-new album Play, set to drop September 12 via Gingerbread Man Records/Atlantic. With “Azizam” and “Old Phone” already making waves, this new era is shaping up to be one of his most joyful yet.
Sheeran says Play “was made as a direct response to the darkest period of my life. Coming out of all of that, I just wanted to create joy and technicolor, and explore cultures in the countries I was touring. I made this record all over the world, finished it in Goa, India, and had some of the most fun, explorative creative days of my life. It’s a real rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish. It encapsulates everything that I love about music, and the fun in it, but also where I am in life as a human, a partner, a father.”
“Old Phone” takes fans on a nostalgic trip down memory lane, paired with the launch of Sheeran’s new Instagram account @teddysoldphone. The account is reviving photos from a phone he stopped using ten years ago, including some never-before-seen gems featuring a younger Ed alongside Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and more.
And if you thought this album cycle would be business as usual, think again. “Going into this album campaign, I said to myself, I just want everything I do to be fun and playful,” Sheeran reveals. “So that’s why we are building pubs for folk jams, doing gigs on open top buses and singing in pink cowboy hats on bars. The older I get, the more I just want to enjoy things, and savor the moments that are mad and chaotic.”
Play Tracklist:
Opening
Sapphire
Azizam
Old Phone
Symmetry
Camera
In Other Words
A Little More
Slowly
Don’t Look Down
The Vow
For Always
Heaven
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