Ed Sheeran's most complete album to date.
Ed Sheeran reveals his new album "=" (pronounced "Equals").
"=" (Equals), released by Atlantic Records / Warner Music, is the fourth in a series of Ed Sheeran albums featuring mathematical symbols.
Contains a collection of songs created over a period of four years after the definitive album "÷" (Divide) of 2017 and compose the most complete work of Ed Sheeran to date, recording the evolution of an artist who continues to open new paths.
In terms of subject matter, he finds Ed Sheraan taking stock of his life and the people in it as he explores the different degrees of love ("The Joker And The Queen", "First Times", "2step"), "Visiting Hours", resilience ("Can't Stop The Rain") and fatherhood ("Sandman", "Leave Your Life"), while processing his reality and career ("Tides").
In terms of sound, "=" encompasses Ed's versatile music palette, ranging from world-class guitar tracks and ballads to more intense and cheerful production moments, as first featured on the album's lead single, "Bad Habits" , released this summer.
"=" Perfectly captures both the familiar and the everyday, while elevating global experiences to a higher level, as reflected in "Visiting Hours", a song in which Ed Sheeran addresses the loss of his mentor and friend, Michael Gudinski , and it was written shortly after his death: "I wish paradise had a visitor / So that I can pass by and ask for your advice", he sings.
"Equals is a really personal record and a record that means a lot to me," says Ed Sheeran.
"My life has changed significantly in recent years - I got married, I became a father, I experienced the loss and I think about these issues during the album. "I see it as the album of my adulthood and I look forward to sharing this next chapter with you," he explains.
The album "=" (Equals) was written and recorded in Suffolk, London, Sweden and Los Angeles, while the album was produced by Ed Sheeran, FRED ("No.6 Collaborations Project") and Johnny McDaid ("Divide »). Steve Mac, Joe Rubel, Amy Wadge, Foy Vance, Elvira Anderfjard, David Hodges, Andrew Watt, Lou Bell, Natalie Hemby and Ben Kweller also co-created and / or produced.
Ed Sheeran's brother, Matthew, also contributes with his stunning string orchestrations to "First Times" and "The Joker And The Queen".
The cover of "=" (Eqauls) is a bright collage of butterfly images that symbolizes the theme of the "new life" of the album and is based on one of the abstract paintings by Ed Sheeran.
In June, Ed Sheeran released the album's lead single, "Bad Habits," which received three nominations at this year's MTV Video Music Awards, including the coveted "Video of the Year."
In his homeland, the United Kingdom, "Bad Habits" spent 11 consecutive weeks at No. 1 of the charts to give the baton to "Shivers", which remained at No. 1 for four consecutive weeks. Meanwhile, "Bad Habits" has completed six weeks at No. 1 of the International Airplay Chart.
