Today, Grammy winning, diamond-certified and global superstar Ed Sheeran has announced that his highly-anticipated new album, Play, will arrive everywhere on September 12, through Gingerbread Man Records/Atlantic Records. After closing the chapter on his Mathematics series, Sheeran is finally back and stepping boldly into a fresh new phase for 2025.

An artist known for constantly evolving, Sheeran’s latest album, Play, finds him exploring new musical ground through collaboration with producers and musicians from around the world, as well as diving deeper into the timeless sounds and themes that have made him one of the world’s best-loved pop artists.

While talking about his upcoming album, the artist said: “Play was an album that 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 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.”

Sheeran adds: ” Going into this album campaign I said to myself ‘I just want everything I do to be fun and playful’ – 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 savour the moments that are mad and chaotic.  You can preorder Play now, many many more playful things to come before it’s out x.”

After the release of his technicolor pop hit “Azizam,” Sheeran gets nostalgic on his brand new song, “Old Phone,” which narrates the disorienting act of reconnecting with the artist’s past.  Powering up an old phone unused since 2015, the singer unearths messages from a lost friend, an argument with an ex,and distant family, highlighting how time and separation reshape identity.

Blending nostalgic acoustic melodies with raw emotion, the song recalls Sheeran‘s early songwriting roots, while exploring growth and memory, capturing an artist that is shaped and transformed by his past.

Play Tracklist

1. Opening
2. Sapphire
3. Azizam
4. Old Phone
5. Symmetry
6. Camera
7. In Other Words
8. A LIttle More
9. Slowly
10. Don’t Look Down
11. The Vow
12. For Always
13. Heaven