Ed returns to Radio 1
Fans listened from around the world as Ed Sheeran arrived to co-host Breakfast and conduct his first radio interview in almost two years. He admitted that a year away had left him forgetting the words to his own songs and even how to operate his loop station, making a much shorter break seem attractive next time.
Ed had deliberately travelled to places where he expected to attract less attention, although Australia proved less anonymous than Japan. Taylor Swift had emailed him with the subject line “OMG” after hearing that new music was coming, while Ed said waiting until January allowed him to avoid the crowded pre-Christmas release period.
Two opposite singles
“Castle on the Hill” was described as a love song to Suffolk, with the video using young people from Ed’s old school. “Shape of You” began during a writing session intended for another artist and was initially imagined for Rihanna, but lyrics about Van Morrison made that increasingly unlikely.
The two songs were deliberately chosen because they represented opposite ends of the new album. Ed confirmed its title as Divide and described a record containing acoustic songs, Irish folk influences and music created during writing sessions in Ghana. He had even crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2 because producer Benny Blanco would not fly, building a temporary studio aboard the ship.
Alan Shearer joins the reunion
Alan Shearer joined Ed and recalled asking him to perform for the Alan Shearer Foundation. Expecting no reply, he was astonished when Ed called back within five minutes and immediately agreed to appear in Newcastle.
Shearer also remembered taking Ed to a Newcastle United match and discovering that the carefully prepared hospitality food was less appealing than ordinary football pies. Ed and his guests rapidly consumed the first order and asked for more. The appearance ended with Ed playing live on his new Divide guitar, while remaining deliberately vague about Glastonbury and the album’s release date.
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