Ed Sheeran Drops 'Playful' New Single 'Azizam'
Ed Sheeran has released a new single, "Azizam," off his forthcoming album 'Play.'
Ed Sheeran has shared a new single, āAzizam.ā The song is a collaboration with producer Ilya Salmanzadeh, who encouraged Sheeran to make music inspired by his Persian heritage and culture.
āI love learning about music and different cultures the more I travel and connect with people,ā Sheeran shared on Instagram. āIt was like opening a door to a completely new and exciting world. I loved how a lot of rhythms, scales, melodies and instruments were different but similar to the Irish trad music I had grown up with. It was showing to me music connects us all, and really is a universal language. This whole album is about being playful, explorative, and celebratory.ā
He added, āIām so overwhelmed with the positive reaction to this song, and so excited for all the other surprises I have for ya. Hope this sets the scene of the soundtrack to your summer, more to come.ā
āAzizamā is a Persian term of endearment that means āmy dear.ā Sheeran showcased the tune in a video filmed āacross the USA and a bit in Ipswich,ā as he explained on Instagram. It features a giant pink balloon with the songās title and includes footage of the musicianās recent surprise street performance in New Orleans, where he played āAzizamā live. An official music video for the track will arrive in the coming weeks.
āAzizamā will appear on Sheeranās forthcoming LP, Play. He revealed the albumās title during a recent appearance on The Tonight Show, during which he also partially premiered a song titled āOld Phone.ā The musician explained that he made his way through mathematics symbols with his albumsĀ Plus, Multiply, Divide,Ā Subtract,Ā andĀ Equals, and is now focused on Play,Ā followed byĀ Rewind, Fast-Forward, andĀ Stop.Ā
āIām kind of a bit obsessed with Tarantino, and I heard he was doing 10 films, and heās got his side projects likeĀ Grindhouse,ā Sheeran told host Jimmy Fallon. āSo Iām like, āI want to do my 10 and, every now and then, do a side project here and there.āā
Sheeranās last LP,Ā Autumn Variations, dropped in 2023 and reached No. 4 on theĀ Billboard 200.Ā