Ed Sheeran's New Album '=' Talks Maturity, Parenthood, and Loss
One of today's most famous musicians, Ed Sheeran, has released his long-awaited new album. Along with it, the artist presented a new single "Overpass Graffiti," which will be released with an exclusive video clip.
Equals, styled =, is the fourth of Ed Sheeran's albums to use symbols as their titles and is one of Sheeran's strongest works to date. It highlights the continuing musical evolution of the artist. Most of the songs were written during the four years following the release of ÷ (Divide). On =, the artist takes a look at his life and the loved ones around him ("The Joker And The Queen," "First Times," "2step"), loss ("Visiting Hours"), emotional resilience ("Can't Stop The Rain) and parenting ("Sandman," "Leave Your Life"), as well as the challenges associated with these themes ("Tides").
The album includes Sheeran's extremely wide and versatile musical palette: from traditional and recognizable songs performed on the artist's guitar to euphoric songs with a completely new sound, such as one of last summer's most popular songs "Bad Habits." The three singles "Bad Habits," "Visiting Hours," and "Shivers," which came before the album's release date, have been heard more than 1.5 billion times together.
Returning to the music scene in June, Sheeran managed to break more than one record. With the singles "Bad Habits" and "Shivers," he spent 15 weeks at the top spot of the British charts. Recently, he became the first British singer to top the Official UK Singles chart for 52 weeks, with only Elvis Presley and The Beatles able to beat him.
The album cover is also special; it was created by Ed Sheeran with his own hands. The equal sign is embedded between the butterflies and an abstract painting done by the singer.
"[It's] is a very personal album that means a lot to me. My life has changed a lot in the last few years: I was married, I became a father, I faced a loss — the album is still a reflection. Now I feel much more mature, I think the album will prove it, I hope you like it," said Sheeran of the new album.
In April of next year, Sheeran will start his world tour "+ - = ÷ x" ("The Mathematics Tour"). The first leg of the tour will start in Europe. Sheeran will perform in Scandinavia, Central Europe, Ireland, and Great Britain.
