Ed Sheeran’s musical journey has always been an open book, but with the release of his eighth studio album, Play, on September 12, 2025, the British superstar is turning a fresh page—one bursting with color, global influences, and a determination to reclaim his pop crown. After a period marked by introspection and personal hardship, Sheeran’s latest project marks a return to the exuberant soundscapes and infectious hooks that first catapulted him into the global spotlight, while also venturing boldly into new musical territory.
According to Billboard, Play arrives at a pivotal moment in Sheeran’s career. His previous records, Subtract and Autumn Variations (both released in 2023), were commercial underperformers by Sheeran’s sky-high standards, shifting fewer than half a million copies each—dwarfed by the 8.4 million units his 2017 juggernaut Divide sold in the UK alone. Those albums were deeply personal, grappling with the loss of his friend Jamal Edwards and his wife Cherry’s battle with cancer. As Sheeran himself confides on the opening track, “When your career’s in a risky place / Everything seems like a big mistake / I’m still looking for [something] to say / Deluding myself that they still relate.”
But Play is anything but a retreat. In a press release cited by BBC, Sheeran described the new record 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.” The result is a 13-track collection that weaves global sounds—especially Indian and Persian musical traditions—into Sheeran’s signature blend of pop and folk. The sleeve notes, as detailed by BBC, give credit to musicians playing sitar, tabla, Kashmiri santoor, and South Indian kanjira, among others, signaling a genuine engagement with the cultures that inspired him.
Sheeran’s commitment to authenticity is more than just studio window dressing. For the song “Sapphire,” he traveled 11 hours to Jiaganj, India, to learn Punjabi lyrics from superstar Arijit Singh, who duets with Sheeran in a mix of English, Hindi, and Punjabi. Earlier this year, Sheeran embarked on a six-city tour across India, where he played football with local children, took sitar lessons in Mumbai, and, in a moment that went viral, had an impromptu concert in Bengaluru cut short by police.
The album’s cross-cultural ambitions are clear from its lead singles. “Azizam”—named after the Farsi word for “my darling”—features a haunting santur riff, while “Symmetry” pulses with Gujarati drums and the metallic twang of a Banzouki. Yet, as BBC observes, these global flourishes are often folded into Sheeran’s trademark “frictionless pop,” making the record accessible to a massive audience while offering a taste of musical adventure. “There’s nothing on Play that feels as wedded to eastern musical traditions as George Harrison’s ‘Within You Without You’—or even Shakira’s ‘Whenever Wherever,’” the review notes. “Sheeran is simply spreading his bets, making music for the biggest possible number of streaming playlists.”
That strategy appears to be working: “Sapphire” recently became the first song by a Western artist to top India’s streaming charts since 2021. Meanwhile, the album’s more intimate tracks, like “Camera” and “In Other Words,” return to the confessional lyricism that endeared Sheeran to millions. “You think you don’t have beauty in abundance, but you do,” he sings on “Camera,” a message reminiscent of pop’s classic love anthems. The official video for “Camera,” released alongside the album, features Sheeran and Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor exploring Croatia’s Old Town, riding mopeds, bar-hopping, and sharing a stadium stage. Shot entirely on iPhone and directed by Emil Nava, the video mirrors the song’s honest, heart-on-sleeve tone.
But Play isn’t just about love and light. On “A Little More,” Sheeran drops his affable persona for a rare moment of confrontation, calling out a friend who betrayed him. The album also sees Sheeran briefly address the pressures of fame, press intrusion, and his recent court battles over plagiarism—“I won both,” he notes with a trace of relief. These glimpses behind the curtain add depth to an otherwise buoyant collection.
The release of Play is also notable for its ambitious rollout. According to NME, Sheeran marked the occasion by performing a historic Tiny Desk concert at NPR’s offices—the first-ever livestream of this scale from the iconic series. Fans around the globe tuned in at 5 p.m. BST to watch Sheeran, armed with his trademark loop station, deliver stripped-back renditions of new songs in one of the world’s most intimate settings. The performance underscored Sheeran’s knack for transforming even the smallest stages into unforgettable experiences.
Play also serves as the opening chapter in Sheeran’s planned five-part “symbol series,” which will include forthcoming albums titled Pause, Fast Forward, Rewind, and Stop. In recent interviews, Sheeran revealed that the next installment, Rewind, was developed alongside Play and could arrive within the next 18 months, keeping fans on their toes for what’s next.
Sheeran’s live schedule is as packed as ever. After closing his record-breaking Mathematics Tour with a final show in Düsseldorf on September 7, he’s slated to headline the iHeartMusicFestival in Las Vegas on September 20. Come December, he’ll launch The Loop Tour across Europe and the UK, before heading to stadiums in Australia and New Zealand in early 2026. All of Sheeran’s previous studio albums have topped charts in the UK and Australia, and with Play, he’s hoping to extend that streak while also making inroads into new markets.
Ultimately, Play is a testament to Ed Sheeran’s resilience and restless creativity. It’s a record that balances the familiar with the foreign, the personal with the universal, and the safe with the experimental. For longtime fans, it’s a welcome return to the infectious melodies and heartfelt lyrics that made Sheeran a household name. For newcomers, it’s an invitation to join him on a journey that’s as global as it is personal—one song, one story, and one stage at a time.
