Push Play: Coming Down to Ed’s Next

Ed Sheeran’s rise has often been framed as a fairy tale, but its reality is one of discipline and persistence. Long before the chart records and stadium tours, he was a teenager in Suffolk writing compulsively, recording in his bedroom, and burning homemade CDs. By the time he moved to London, he was playing several open mics a night, busking on street corners, and handing out copies of self-released EPs.

What seemed like a sudden breakthrough with SBTV and Elton John’s mentorship was, in truth, the inevitable outcome of years spent testing songs in small rooms.

His debut, + (2011), distilled the intimacy of those early performances. Songs like “The A Team” and “Lego House” leaned on minimal arrangements. With x (2014), the palette expanded. Rick Rubin and Pharrell pushed him into sharper rhythm and bolder production, with “Sing” and “Don’t” planting him firmly inside pop’s centre. ÷ (2017) made him a global figure. “Perfect” cemented his place as a pop balladeer, while “Shape of You” dominated charts worldwide.

The pandemic years drew him back to smaller frames. = (2021) was an album of recalibration—grief, fatherhood, the anchoring of domestic life. - (2023), shaped with Aaron Dessner, was starker still: acoustic, pared down, its honesty cutting through any need for polish. With it, the mathematical cycle closed, a decade-long arc brought to its natural end.

Play launches a new five-part cycle—Play, Pause, Rewind, Fast-Forward, Stop. Sheeran has described the record as rooted in joy, and its singles reflect that ethos. “Azizam” carries Persian inflections, “Old Phone” turns nostalgia into melody, and “Sapphire,” with Arijit Singh, bridges Indian and Western traditions with ease.

Across club sets and stadium runs, the constants are a loop pedal, a plain-spoken lyric, and a chorus engineered to travel. His story is persistence and reinvention—proof that, even at the height of fame, an artist can begin again.

‘Play’ Album Trailer

Beginnings in Suffolk

Ed Sheeran’s journey began in his bedroom in Framlingham, Suffolk, recording demos and burning homemade CDs. Moving to London, he busked on street corners, rushed between open mics, and often slept on sofas. Crowds were small and indifferent, but those nights forged the persistence and craft that later carried him onto the world stage.

‘Grow Back’ 

Ed Sheeran in 2008

Self-Released EPs

Long before major labels, Ed self-released EPs like Loose Change and Songs I Wrote With Amy. These recordings were raw but revealed his instinct for melody. They helped him build a small but loyal following.

SBTV Breakthrough

In 2010, Ed’s SBTV session went viral. Just a guitar and his voice, filmed by Jamal Edwards, it introduced him to thousands overnight. What seemed sudden was actually the result of years of invisible grind.

Elton John’s Patronage

Elton John noticed the young songwriter’s relentless work ethic. He became a mentor, helping Ed navigate the industry. This patronage gave him credibility, but it was earned through persistence.

x (2014)

With x, Sheeran stretched his palette. Rick Rubin pushed him toward raw, stripped tracks like “Tenerife Sea,” while Pharrell added rhythmic brightness to “Sing.” The album blended hip-hop cadences with folk-pop intimacy, showing he could scale up production without losing sincerity. It was eclectic, restless, and bold.

÷ (2017)

÷ was maximalist pop. It swung from Irish folk on “Galway Girl” to glossy ballads like “Perfect” and the global juggernaut “Shape of You.” Sheeran proved he could dominate streaming while still drawing from traditional influences. The album was both adventurous and carefully engineered for mass appeal.

The ‘Shape of You’ Phenomenon

Released in 2017, “Shape of You” became one of the most successful singles of all time. It topped charts in more than 30 countries, broke streaming records, and is still among the most-played songs in Spotify’s history. For Sheeran, it marked a new level of ubiquity—proof he could dominate global pop while remaining a solo songwriter. The track cemented him not just as a hitmaker but as one of the defining artists of his generation.

No.6 Collaborations Project (2019)

After the runaway success of ÷, Ed Sheeran shifted gears with No.6 Collaborations Project. Rather than carrying the album alone, he built it on partnerships with artists across genres—Justin Bieber, Travis Scott, Khalid, Stormzy, and more. The record blurred pop, hip-hop, and R&B, proving Sheeran could adapt his songwriting to almost any style without losing his core identity.

= (2021)

= carried the weight of personal change. Songs like “Visiting Hours” mourned loss with quiet restraint, while “Shivers” brought upbeat pop sparkle. Acoustic textures sat beside polished hooks, reflecting a balance between introspection and mainstream appeal. It was a transitional album, caught between grief and renewal.

- (2023)

Produced with Aaron Dessner, Subtract pared everything back. Acoustic guitars, hushed vocals, and muted textures created stark emotional landscapes. Songs like “Eyes Closed” addressed grief with honesty, while others carried the gentle ache of solitude. It was his most vulnerable work, closing the “maths” cycle with intimacy.

Autumn Variations (2023)

Following Subtract, Autumn Variations was a quieter, more experimental record. Inspired by Elgar’s Enigma Variations, each track was written for or about a friend, capturing moments of love, anxiety, and change. It was the first album on his own label, Gingerbread Man Records, emphasizing independence and artistic freedom.

Sapphire
Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh; Play (2025)

In 2024, Ed Sheeran teamed up with Arijit Singh on “Sapphire” from his album Play. The collaboration blended Sheeran’s melodic pop with Arijit’s emotive vocal style, creating a seamless bridge between Western and Indian traditions. For Sheeran, it marked a deliberate step toward deeper global connections, showing his music’s ability to cross languages and cultures without compromise.

Azizam
Ed Sheeran – Looper Performance Live from Old Delhi

Ed Sheeran proves his progress by playing an early voice recording

On The Jonathan Ross Show, Ed Sheeran played an old recording of himself struggling to sing as a teenager. The clip highlighted that his success wasn’t a product of effortless talent, but of years of discipline, practice, and persistence in honing his craft.