Ed Sheeran to drop new album ‘Play’ on Sept. 12, reconnects with ‘Ben&Ben’

Ed Sheeran in a promo photo for “Play.” Image: Warner Music

The rest of the year will be jampacked for Ed Sheeran as he is set to release his eighth album “Play” on September 12 as a “direct response” to the “darkest period” in his life.

Sheeran said “Play” was put together with the intention of “creating joy and technicolor” in a release, adding that it was finished while he was in Goa, India. The album follows “+,” “x,” “÷,” “No.6 Collaborations Project,” “=,” “-,” and “Autumn Variations.”

“‘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,” he said of the record.

“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,” he continued.

Describing it as an album with “a real rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish,” Sheeran said it will also display what he “loves about the music” and the current state of his life as a “human, partner, and father.”

“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,” he said. “The older I get, the more I just want to enjoy things, and savour the moments that are mad and chaotic.”

The album contains 16 songs (including CD and vinyl exclusives): “Opening,” “Sapphire,” “Azizam,” “Old Phone,” “Symmetry,” “Camera,” “In Other Words,” “A Little More,” “Slowly,” “Don’t Look Down,” “The Vow,” “For Always,” “Heaven,” “Problems,” “War Games,” and “Regrets.”

Sheeran earlier dropped “Azizam” and “Old Phone” as pre-release tracks on April 18 and May 1, respectively.

Catch-up with Ben&Ben

Sheeran also had the chance to reunite with folk-pop band Ben&Ben during the “Off Limits” music festival in Abu Dhabi recently.

According to the band’s vocalist, Paolo Benjamin Guico, reconnecting with Sheeran made them happy as it gave them a moment to “exchange stories” again.

“What constantly blows us away more than [Ed Sheeran’s] generational talent and sheer musicality is the genuine, warm connection he makes with everyone he meets, including us,” he said.

“He recalled how lovely it was for him to be able to perform for Filipinos. He also remembered us from when we met him here in Manila, which is very cool. It’s an honor to have been able to exchange stories with him again. We wish Ed all the best with his new album, ‘Play,’” said Guico.

Ed Sheeran with Ben&Ben. Image: Handout photo

Ben&Ben and Sheeran first met after the folk-pop band was a guest performer at the Manila leg of the British singer-songwriter’s “+ – = ÷ x” concert in the Philippines.

Sheeran’s music career began in 2004, although he gained attention with “The A Team” six years later. He gained further acclaim with the release of his hit songs “Lego House” and “Give Me Love” in 2011.

He is also known for the tracks “Thinking Out Loud,” “Shape of You,” “Perfect,” and “Photograph,” to name a few.