Australia’s ‘adopted son’ Ed Sheeran finally drops new album

Photo credit: Dan Martensen

It’s release day for Ed Sheeran and his fans as his eagerly awaited fourth instalment in his symbol album series drops today.

Sheeran’s label said ‘=’ (Equals) is the artist’s most accomplished work yet, which is really saying something.

In Australia alone, ‘+’ (Plus) in 2011 went #1 and 7x Platinum. The follow up, ‘x’ (Multiply) in 2014 followed suit and was 10x Platinum. And 2017’s ‘÷’ (Divide) repeated this again.

He’s had six #1 ARIA Singles, with both ‘Thinking Out Loud’ and ‘Shape Of You’ certified as a whopping 15x Platinum. And he’s had 21 songs in the ARIA Top 10.

On radio, he’s had nine #1 National Airplays, and on the live front, his 2018 tour became the highest-selling single concert tour in Australian history, selling over one million tickets.

The new album was crafted over a four-year period and finds Sheeran taking stock of his life and the people in it. There’s songs about life, love, and, of course, loss, as he grapples with the death of long-term friend and mentor, Michael Gudinski.

The resulting song, ‘Visiting Hours’ was performed at Gudinski’s State Memorial in March and features backing vocals from Aussie icons Kylie Minogue and Jimmy Barnes.

The album boasts tracks which were written and recorded across Suffolk, London, Sweden and LA with executive production from Sheeran himself, FRED (No. 6 Collaborations Project) and Johnny McDaid (Divide).

Additional writing and production came from the likes of Steve Mac, Joe Rubel, Amy Wadge, Foy Vance, Elvira Anderfjard, David Hodges, Andrew Watt, Lou Bell, Natalie Hemby and Ben Kweller.

Sheeran’s brother, composer Matthew, also contributed string arrangements on ‘First Times’ and ‘The Joker and The Queen’.

Sheeran said Equals is a really personal record, and one which means a lot to him.

“My life changed greatly over the past few years – I got married, became a father, experienced loss, and I reflect on these topics over the course of the album,” he said. “I see it as my coming-of-age record, and I can’t wait to share this next chapter with you.”

Dan Rosen, president of Warner Music Australia, said today was all about celebrating Sheeran’s epic achievements in Australia.

“Ed Sheeran is a superstar artist and an adopted son here in Australia,” he said. “Time and time again, Ed has delivered us incredible music, and today is no different with the launch of his brilliant new album ‘=’.

“Today, we at WMA celebrate the release of the album and congratulate Ed on his groundbreaking career in Australia. There is no one else like him. Ed continues to break records here, from sold-out stadium tours to ARIA #1s, and most importantly win the hearts of the music community and fans all around Australia and the world.”