Singer Ed Sheeran's Upcoming Album Is Titled with Simple Maths Symbol

Ed Sheeran finally announced the name of his upcoming studio album, including the date it will come out. The singer also shared how fans could preorder the album ahead of its release.

On Wednesday, Ed Sheeran took to his Instagram account to share the title of his latest album, including the artwork that was designed for it. The star named his 4th studio album “=,” pronounced as “Equals.”

He revealed in the post’s caption that the album would be released on October 29, 2021; however, fans could start preordering it on the announcement date. It would be available on all platforms for preordering.

Fans could also access the “Equal” album on vinyl, CD, and cassette. Sheeran explained how he’d started writing and recording the album years back in June 2017, through all sorts of life experiences, saying:

“I’ve been through love, loss, new life, grief and everything in between during the whole period of writing it…”

The artist said the album felt like it was a coming-of-age one for him. He confessed that he was excited and nervous about his fans hearing the album and revealed what song fans could expect to hear next.

Sheeran said the track was called “Visiting Hours” and was created for his friend Michael who passed on this year. The star shared how fans who preordered the album would also get the new song in it.

The singer informed his fans that they should expect more music from him. The new album features fourteen tracks, including the one dedicated to his late friend, which he sang during the live stream.

In an Instagram live stream on the same day, Sheeran shared with his fans that he painted part of the album cover during the COVID-19 lockdown. He created it by splashing paint on canvas.

His friend, Zac, then digitally modified and created the final product, which the singer thought was great. “Equals’” back cover also features a chrysalis cocoon which was meant to symbolize new life.

Sheeran explained how he felt like the butterfly symbolism fit his life perfectly since he’d gotten married, had a child, and lost friends. Using symbols as album titles seems to be a theme for the artists.

His third studio album, which came out in 2017, was titled “÷.” The work led him to a two-and-a-half-year world tour with 260 concerts and 8.5 million tickets sold with a gross of $776 million!

Besides his latest album, Sheeran will also feature on two tracks for a fellow singer, Taylor Swift. The artist will sing on “Everything Has Changed” and an unreleased song, “Run,” on the re-recorded version of her album “Red.”