It’s been more than four years since Ed Sheeran has released an album and that’s all about to change with his highly anticipated new project, = (equals), releasing October 29.
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Sheeran gave fans the first taste of the new album with the release of “Bad Habits” in June, followed by “Visiting Hours” in August and “Shivers” in September. He admits leading off with the single, “Bad Habits,” which showcases a different side of his musicality made him anxious, wondering how fans would react.
“It’s quite weird coming back after so long with a single that isn’t necessarily my usual sound,” Ed told Audacy’s Karen Carson. “I was very nervous about it.”
He continued, “The first three days were the most stressful, like, ‘Oh my God, people hate it!’ But this is why it’s good to step back back and have a bit of hindsight. It’s now 12 weeks in, people do like it… I feel good about it.”
Ed’s music isn’t the only thing that has him feeling good these days. On top of being a new father, Ed has dropped some of his own “Bad Habits” while learning moderation surrounding his eating, drinking and work habits.
“All it took was moderation, I never knew moderation,” Sheeran shared when complimented on how healthy he looks. “I would eat and eat and eat, and drink and drink and drink, I would smoke and smoke and smoke and I would stay up all night… do as many shows as I could. Then I turned 30 and had kid and I’m like, ‘Why does every thing have to be go, go, go, go go the whole time? Sometimes it’s good to sit back.”
Sheeran’s healthier self could be seen as he performed “Bad Habits,” along with his most-recent release, “Shivers,” and fan-favorite, “Perfect,” at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards, and continued his recent trend of stepping out of his comfort zone by playing with a full-band.
“I love having a band… it’s just wonderful, but it’s not my comfort zone,” he said. “I’ve played with a loop-pedal since I was 14, I’ve never really had a band. I know how to work an audience with a loop-pedal because I do it day-in, day-out. Whereas with a band I feel — I just don’t know what to do.”
Something that is in Ed’s comfort zone? Songwriting. Whether for himself or another one of today’s hottest artists, Sheeran is never far from new-level creativity, and you never know who he’ll be working with next. One of his most-recent collabs is with mega Korean pop group, BTS, for their songs “Permission To Dance,” and “Make It Right.”
While the collaboration stuck to songwriting credits this time around, Sheeran says a vocal collaboration with the group, who he surprisingly hasn’t met yet, is not out of the question.
“We’ve had a lot of success with these songs,” the 30-year-old shared. “I have this album [=] now, and after then, I’m open to any collaborations. We should do like a slow, ballad, love song I think. Because both ‘Make It Right,’ and ‘Permission To Dance’ are quite up-beat, so it’d be good to do something a bit more soothing.”
Whatever they decide to do, should they collaborate, we’re sure it will be just as successful as Sheeran’s other collaborations with other top artists including Ryan Tedder and Taylor Swift, who have since become great friends with Sheeran. He even credits Taylor for matchmaking him with his wife, Cherry.
“Taylor is kind of the catalyst for our relationship,” he said, before explaining Swift invited Cherry over to hang out while she and Ed were writing a song together in Connecticut.
“I had been in touch with Cherry, I think we’d been on one date, and it just so happened she was literally around the corner. Taylor invited her and matchmake, and yeah — here we are.”
While Ed has Taylor Swift to thank for matchmaking, he returned the matchmaking favor by providing common ground for Courteney Cox and her current beau, Johnny McDaid, who is the Godfather of Sheeran’s child.
“Courteney is basically family,” said Ed. “Like, Johnny is my best friend in the entire world… He has been dating Courteney for eight years and I kind of match-made there, I guess. He’s the God-father of my child, he lived with me for the whole of last year whilst creating this album and so, Courteney is basically family.”
He continued to share the ways Cox has supported him during difficult times in Los Angeles and introduced him to support and positivity in a city that had previously spiraled him into depression.
“I lived in Los Angeles and I got depressed and I hated it and I moved back home and was like, ‘I’m never going back to that place, that’s like real, real bad vibes for me,’” he revealed.
“And then, Spending time at Courteney’s, her friends are all like her. They’ve all had a lot of success and they’re confident and comfortable in their own skin and they haven’t really got these entourages around them. She’s kind of introduced me into the world of LA where I’m like ‘OK, I’m comfortable, I can get by here. I can enjoy being here.’”
Sheeran hopes to keep the good vibes going by supporting other up-and-coming artists and treating his biggest “competition” respect.
“I’ve been in this ten years and everyone that would be seen as a ‘threat,’ I’m friends with and I root for. Like, I really root for Lewis Capaldi, I really root for Shawn Mendes, I really root for James Bay — there’s no point where I see them on top and go ‘Oh, that should be me!’ I go, ‘That’s great!’ I’m really, really happy for them and I’ll speak to them and tell them I’m really happy for them. I hope that they do it to the next generation.”
Last, but not least, Sheeran teased a 2023 U.S. Tour, in addition to his U.K. Europe tour being announced September 17.
“I’m announcing my U.K. and Europe tour on Friday this week,” Ed revealed. “And then there’s an American tour that, it just takes longer to book because we play NFL stadiums in the NFL season and we have tp kind of book around it so it’s going to be 2023, but it won’t be announced for a bit.”
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