British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has announced his sixth studio album ‘–’, pronounced Subtract, on Thursday.
The fifth and final entry in his series of mathematically titled albums, Subtract was produced and written with Aaron Dessner in memory of their friend Jamal Edwards, who died last year at 31.
Set for a May 5 release, Subtract comprises 14 tracks that go on to explore the singer’s mental health journey.
The announcement video is a compilation of the yet-to-be released music videos of the tracks from the new acoustic album. It shows Sheeran walking by a beach and the names of the tracks engraved on sand. Boat, Salt Water, Eyes Closed, Life Goes On and Dusty appear to be the titles of some of the new tracks.
Opening up about the idea behind Subtract, Sheeran said the album explored his mental health as well as the suffering of his wife, Cherry Seaborn, during her second pregnancy. “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 (Edwards), a brother to me, died suddenly, and I found myself standing in court defending my integrity and career as a songwriter,” the pop star said.
“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,” he added.
The four-time Grammy winner released his last album, = (Equals), in October 2021 which went on to top the UK and US charts.
