Ed Sheeran celebrates new album announcement with second single

Ed Sheeran has dropped his upcoming record along with a new single.

The Perfect crooner announced his eighth album, Play, through Gingerbread Record and unveiled his second single Old phone.

To promote the single, he recently launched his old Instagram account @TeddysOldPhone with photos from his old phone.

The song is co-produced with Ilya Salmanzadeh and Blake Slatkin. The new track follows his album’s lead single Azizam.

The Lego House crooner was influenced by the global sounds from India and Persia for Play, like the song Azizam. It is a Persian name "my dear" or "beloved" and he subsequently released a version of the song with Iranian singer Googoosh.

In his Instagram post, Sheeran said about the album, "Play was an album that was made as a direct response to the darkest period of my life. Coming out of all of that I just wanted to create joy and technicolour, and explore cultures in the countries I was touring."

He added, "It’s a real rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish, it encapsulates everything that I love about music, and the fun in it, but also where I am in life as a human, a partner, a father."

The 13-song album will be released on September 12, 2025.