= by Ed Sheeran
= (pronounced and subtitled "equals") is the fifth studio album by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, released on 29 October 2021 by Asylum and Atlantic Records. The album was supported by the singles "Bad Habits", "Shivers" and "Overpass Graffiti", in addition to "Visiting Hours", released as the sole promotional single. It received mixed reviews from music critics. The album reached number one in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Background On 18 August 2021, Sheeran said there would be a "big announcement" the following day. On 19 August, he announced the album and its release date of 29 October on his social media accounts. He described the album as his "coming-of-age" record. To him, the album was a "really personal record and one that means a lot to me", citing changes in his life, including marriage, the birth of his daughter and experienced losses. The promotional single "Visiting Hours" was released alongside the announcement. In an interview with Capital FM on 27 June 2021, Sheeran also stated that he would like to see the songs he made for the film Yesterday appear on a repackaged version of the album before he goes on tour for the record.
Ed Sheeran’s appeal has always stemmed from the authenticity his music exudes. After learning guitar from the age of 11, the British singer-songwriter independently put out five EPs, garnering him a sizeable and wide-ranging fanbase in the UK. Those early releases notably included 2011’s <i>No. 5 Collaborations Project</i>, a collection that brought together Sheeran’s folk-adjacent acoustic pop with his love of rap, featuring some of the UK’s premier grime MCs (including Jme, Wiley and P Money). So when Sheeran’s debut album, <i>+</i>, arrived in 2011—the same year he turned 20—it was perhaps not surprising that his voice was occasionally imbued with the flexible elasticity of rap delivery, his soft vocals often bouncing between a bounding quick pace and a slower, more deliberate troubadour style. Produced and written by Sheeran, with help from Jake Gosling—who’s also worked with the likes of One Direction and Lady Gaga—this is an album of simple but affecting pop music, one that wears its vernacular Britishness and youthfulness on its sleeve: A breakup song about Sheeran’s ex starting her undergraduate degree while he’s on the road is titled “U.N.I.”—a reference to “you and I”, of course, but also “uni” . In the scheme of Sheeran’s career, some of the tracks on <i>+</i> now feel a little insipid. But there’s no denying the fact that many have become staples of an era—after all, this is the album that delivered such hits as “The A Team”, “Drunk”, “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You” and “Lego House”. There’s an earnest quality to these tracks, which tackle alcoholism, the music industry and lost loves—all of it imbued with a directness stemming from the simple combination of Sheeran and his acoustic guitar. One of the most essential debuts of the 2010s, <i>+</i> established Sheeran’s ear for melody, as well as his knack for communicating with his audience—two traits that would power the singer-songwriter’s career in the years ahead.
