Ed Sheeran attends Capital FM Summertime Ball in London, on June 9, 2012. The following year, Sheeran
appeared as an adviser along with Cher on "The Voice." Photo by Rune Hellestad/UPI |
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March 9 (UPI) -- Singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran is gearing up for his new album release. Subtract is expected to come out on May 5. It's the last of Sheeran's 'mathematical' albums, deemed so as each of their titles references a math equation. In the meantime, he's promoting his new single "Eyes Closed" on a familiar platform -- TikTok.
The app, which has become increasingly influential in connecting musicians and fans, was Sheeran's choice to release an acoustic version of the single.
In the short clip divided into three screens, Sheeran is dressed in a T-shirt and sneakers while he plays guitar and sings the single's chorus. The British singer/songwriter has 13.5 million followers on TikTok.
On his sixth studio album, Sheeran says he shared more of himself than ever before.
"I had been working on Subtract for a decade, trying to sculpt the perfect acoustic album, writing and recording hundreds of songs with a clear vision of what I thought it should be," Sheeran posted on social media when announcing the album release. "Then at the start of 2022, a series of events changed my life, my mental health, and ultimately the way I viewed music and art."
The 'changes' were finding out that his pregnant wife Cherry Seaborn had a tumor that could not be removed until after the pregnancy, the death of his friend Jamal Davis, who died of a heart attack in 2022, and multiple court cases, including the one over TLC's "No Scrubs," which alleged that he'd used a portion of the song for his 2017 hit "Shape of You." Kandi Burruss and Tameka "Tiny" Harris, who wrote "No Scrubs" were ultimately awarded credit for the song.
He concluded, "I felt like I was drowning, head below the surface, looking up but not being able to break through for air. As an artist, I didn't feel like I could credibly put a body of work into the world that didn't accurately represent where I am and how I need to express myself at this point in my life.
"This album is purely that. It's opening the trapdoor into my soul. For the first time I'm not trying to craft an album people will like, I'm merely putting something out that's honest and true to where I am in my adult life."
In December, Sheeran also announced the Mathematics tour, kicking off May 6 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tx.
