I’ve been a huge Ed Sheeran fan for many years now, before he even released his first album- +. So when he announced in December 2015 that he would be taking a break from the public eye, I was gutted but also excited for some amazing new music when he did return.
After a year of absence and sporadic rumoured stories in the papers, Ed acknowledged his return through a single square of blue posted on his various social media profiles, hinting at a brand new album. Several more morsels later and Ed officially announced that his third album, ÷, would be released on the 3rd March 2017 (obviously, I pre-ordered as soon as I could).
On the 6th January, he released two singles from the album, capturing the mix of songs to be found on the album. He was co-hosting the Radio 1 Breakfast show on this day, starting at 7am. So, naturally, I woke up just to listen to it and hear the brand new songs, as did many others.
“Shape of You”: when I first heard this, I thought that the style was quite different for Ed. His albums have included more upbeat, dance-y tunes before, like ‘Sing’ and ‘Don’t’ but this felt distinctly more club-like. When he explained that he initially wrote it with the idea of Rihanna performing it, it made a lot more sense. The beat is super catchy and after a few listens, I can confirm, I love it.
“Castle on the Hill”: definitely my favourite of the two he treated us to. It’s got the Ed Sheeran-style that I associate with my teenage days and songs like ‘Photograph’ and ‘Little Bird’. To me, the lyrics are just more meaningful, they carry a strong story throughout them with a sense of nostalgia. I just adore it. And when he co-hosted the Radio 1 Breakfast show, he treated the listeners to an acoustic version of the song, which I possibly loved even more! I’m sure it’s going to be one of the favourites when people see him on tour.
Speaking of, a few days ago, he announced his UK and Ireland tour which starts in March. No doubt these shows are going to sell out in minutes so if you want to get your hands on some tickets, you’ll have to be quick!