Featured art by Bhernn Saenz. With images courtesy of Petros Studio via Warner Music PH.
GLOBAL RELEASE — Marking an end to his “Mathematics” series, global music icon, Ed Sheeran is finally back and stepping boldly into a fresh new phase for 2025. Known for his constant evolution, Sheeran’s latest album, “Play” finds him exploring new musical ground through collaboration with producers and musicians around the world, diving deeper into the timeless sounds and themes that have made him one of the world’s best-loved pop artists.
Inspired in part by his exposure to Indian and Persian musical cultures—and their surprising connections to the Irish folk tradition he grew up with, through shared scales, rhythms, and melodies—Sheeran explored this borderless musical language, giving the album its distinctive, fresh edge.
On more familiar ground, he reminds us why he remains the most influential singer-songwriter of his generation, delivering a series of stunning ballads and acoustic-driven songs. The result is a collection that plays with both the familiar and the new, creating a bold, pop-driven sound that only Ed Sheeran could deliver—a vibrant showcase of his artistry that feels both exciting and transformative, with a promise to be one of the defining albums of the year.
Image courtesy of Petros Studio via Warner Music PH.
He shares, “‘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 technicolour, and explore cultures in the countries I was touring. 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. 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.”
Album artwork courtesy of Warner Music PH.
After the release of his global, technicolor pop hit “Azizam”, Sheeran gets nostalgic on his brand new single “Old Phone”,narrating the disorienting act of reconnecting with his past. Powering up an old phone unused since 2015, he 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.
“Old Phone” is produced by Blake Slatkin & Ilya Salmanzadeh. The release of this single comes with the announcement of the highly-anticipated new album slated for release on the 12th of September 2025.
Watch the lyric video below:
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