Ed Sheeran announces new album Subtract, dedicates it to struggles he had in 2022

Ed Sheeran has announced the release date of his upcoming album ‘-,’ which is scheduled for a release on May 5. The singer-songwriter revealed along with the announcement that the album, called “subtract” when pronounced, will give a foray into his journey with “fear, depression, and anxiety.” It will also mark the end of the mathematical-symbol-based titling of his albums. 

The album has been produced and written by Sheeran and Aaron Dessner, who is a part of the band The National. The album is a follow-up to his album F64, which was released on January 19. The album was a tribute to his friend Jamal Edwards, who was the SBTV founder and passed away in 2022 at the age of 31. 

Ed Sheeran said in a statement that he’d been working on the album for a decade. The singer-songwriter was trying to “sculpt the perfect acoustic album,” and wrote and recorded several hundred songs in order to achieve his vision. However, he adds that his mental health went through a change in 2022. 

 “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.”

Ed Sheeran's struggles which inspired his latest album

Ed Sheeran’s statement detailed that his struggles included dealing with the unfortunate news of finding out his wife had a tumour while she was pregnant, with no way of treatment until childbirth. At the same time, he coped with the death of his friend Jamal and had to defend himself in court. 

He further said that instead of crafting a perfect album, he went with expressing how he felt at the time, citing that he wanted to do it because it accurately represented his situation. 

Ed Sheeran’s previous studio album, ‘=’ was released on October 29, 2021. Bam Bam, the single where he collaborated with artist Camila Cabello, scored a nomination for Best Pop Duo at the 2023 Grammys and featured several hits such as Bad Habits, Shivers and 2Step.