Play

Play is Ed Sheeran’s eighth studio album, released on 12 September 2025 through Gingerbread Man Records in partnership with Atlantic and Warner Music. Running about 44 minutes in its standard edition, the record leans back into a vibrant “big pop” sound after Sheeran’s more mellow and folk-tinged releases, while weaving in bold cross-cultural elements like Persian lyrics, Indian instrumentation and other global influences. It is the first entry in a planned five-album series named after media control symbols (Play, Pause, Fast Forward, Rewind and Stop), and was finalized in Goa, India. Produced by an array of high-profile collaborators including Ilya Salmanzadeh, Savan Kotecha, Cirkut, Omer Fedi, Blake Slatkin, Elvira Anderfjärd, Johnny McDaid and Steve Mac, the album features both English and non-English elements that give it a distinctive international feel. Lead singles such as “Azizam” (Persian for “my beloved”), “Old Phone,” “Sapphire,” “A Little More” and “Camera” highlight its blend of nostalgia, upbeat pop hooks and experimental textures. Lyrically, Sheeran draws from his personal life — fatherhood, marriage, his wife’s health struggles, and the loss of close friend Jamal Edwards — while balancing introspection with moments of celebration and playfulness suggested by the title. Early reviews have been broadly positive, with critics praising the seamless global influences in tracks like “Azizam” and “Symmetry,” even as some note that parts of the album still lean on familiar pop formulas rather than breaking entirely new ground.