Ed Sheeran’s eighth studio album, “Play,” was released on Sept. 12 and contains 13 songs, all of which are meant to explore a different sound. Sheeran, who is known for his math-themed album names and catchy pop songs, chose to draw on a different inspiration for this track.
In an interview with The New York Times, Sheeran discussed moving on from playing it safe with familiarity and creating music for a wider audience. “Sometimes I think as Westerners, we have this view that the West is ‘it,’ when actually, the world is huge,” he said.
Sheeran notes that traveling and touring the world for his shows allowed him to discover a wider variety of sounds, and this inspiration is evident in many of the tracks on the album. The lead single, “Azizam,” was written in collaboration with artist and producer Ilya Salmanzadeh (who goes by the name ILYA) and in an Instagram post, Sheeran wrote that it was ILYA’s idea to make music inspired by his Persian heritage and culture.
“It was like opening a door to a completely new and exciting world. I loved how a lot of the rhythms, scaled, melodies and instruments were different but similar to the Irish trad music I had grown up with,” Sheeran said.
Listening to “Azizam,” a Persian term of endearment which translates to “my dear,” the song’s upbeat nature keeps listeners captivated with its creative layering of instruments and a catchy chorus. Immediately, Sheeran sings “Azizam / Meet me on the floor tonight / Show me how to move like the water / In between the dancing lights / Be mine, be mine, azizam.”
In this context, it is presented to the listener as Sheeran meeting his love (his wife Cherry) on the dance floor and getting closer through dancing together and experiencing an evening with joy and celebration. It’s a strong start to an album, and it’s enjoyable to see a different — yet familiar — side of Sheeran.
Another enjoyable single from the album is “A Little More” which is accompanied by a music video starring Ed Sheeran and, perhaps more importantly… Rupert Grint! This silly concept turns slightly more serious when the listener takes the time to watch the video and analyze the lyrics. “You think I was born to ruin your life / But you did most of that before I arrived / Some things are broken when you open the box / So stop this, you’ve gone too far, enough is enough,” Sheeran sings. The song goes on about loving someone to the point where you develop an intense hatred and reflection on how things were ruined, even though there was an attempt (if you can call it that) to move on and change.
In the video, Grint’s character sees Sheeran’s face everywhere. And I mean everywhere: this includes the billboards, the people walking down the street and even as his (surprise!) beautiful bride to be. Sheeran, if you read this, I need you to know that that dress was wonderful. Truly.
Throughout the album in general, Sheeran makes an effort to reflect on his life and create new and unique songs that aren’t a repeat of his previous works. In some cases, such as “Azizam” and “A Little More,” Sheeran succeeds in his goal to bring forward a more personal and refreshing perspective on who he is as a person and as an artist.
Some of the songs fall a little flat in terms of changing up the sound — but that doesn’t mean they were bad — there was simply more of a repetition of the music we’ve heard from him before. This challenged that alternative and new side of him Sheeran was working on displaying.
CREDIT: Instagram @teddysphotos
A song that did work with this shift is “Sapphire” which he collaborated with artist Arijit Singh on. In another post on Instagram, Sheeran revealed that he discovered Singh through “Aashiqui 2” and listened to his song “Tum Hi Ho.” After meeting up and playing “Sapphire” for him, they began to discuss collaboration.
What I enjoyed about the song and appreciate about Sheeran’s collaborations on this album is that they feel intentional and motivated by an appreciation for different cultures and styles of music. In the same post, Sheeran mentioned a version of the song they recorded that is entirely in Punjabi, and that is something I truly look forward to hearing.
Overall, Sheeran brought new sides of himself to this album and clearly put an effort dedicated towards challenging his own perception of what music is “supposed” to sound like.
In this record, Ed Sheeran explored what it takes to change your own sound and create something entirely new. Ed Sheeran fans, give this album a listen! And for those curious but unsure, take the time to click play and see where the songs will take you.
3.5/5