Ed Sheeran had a lot of stuff to get off of his chest, so he talked about it on social media.
First, he announced that he will be releasing his new album, Subtract, on May 5th. And it is available to preorder today.
Second, the singer recently revealed that he has been going through a lot emotionally, but he didn’t say what it was. Today, he opened up about everything that has happened to him over the last year.
I had been working on Subtract for a decade, trying to sculpt the perfect acoustic album, writing and recording hundreds of songs with a clear vision of what I thought it should be. Then at the start of 2022, a series of events changed my life, my mental health, and ultimately the way I viewed music and art.
Writing songs is my therapy. It helps me make sense of my feelings. I wrote without thought of what the songs would be, I just wrote whatever tumbled out. And in just over a week I replaced a decade’s worth of work with my deepest darkest thoughts.
Within the space of a month, my pregnant wife got told she had a tumour, with no route to treatment until after the birth. My best friend Jamal, a brother to me, died suddenly, and I found myself standing in court defending my integrity and career as a songwriter. I was spiralling through fear, depression and anxiety. I felt like I was drowning, head below the surface, looking up but not being able to break through for air.
As an artist I didn’t feel like I could credibly put a body of work into the world that didn’t accurately represent where I am and how I need to express myself at this point in my life. This album is purely that. It’s opening the trapdoor into my soul. For the first time, I’m not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life.
I hope his wife is better now and the tumor was benign.
When it comes to Subtract, it sounds like the greatest songwriter of his generation is going to release an album that is raw and vulnerable. And I can’t wait to hear every word that comes out of his mouth. Although, I might need therapy when I am done listening to it.
