After waiting over four years, Ed Sheeran took to his instagram live this morning to announce his fourth studio solo album “=” (pronounced “Equals”), set to be released October 29th, 2021. The album will include Sheeran’s hit single “Bad Habits” and debuts a new song, “Visiting Hours,” which Sheeran finished for his late friend Michael, and released a performance video for on Thursday.
At the conclusion of the live stream, details including a tracklist and preorder link were announced. “=” will feature 14 tracks, although Sheeran explained in his livestream it easily could have been more — Sheeran said it was a “painstaking” process to get it down to just 14 songs. But despite the editing struggle, the singer-songwriter said that he loves the new album and thinks it’s the best bit of work he’s done.
“= (Equals) is a really personal record and one that means a lot to me,” Sheeran said in a statement. “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. I see it as my coming-of-age record, and I can’t wait to share this next chapter with you.”