Ed Sheeran is moving into the future and the past with a joint announcement on Thursday, May 1.
The “Shape of You” singer announced his new album, Play, will be released on Sept. 12 while releasing the new song, “Old Phone” on Thursday May 1.
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But Sheeran isn’t only looking to the future. He also announced a new Instagram account, @teddysoldphone, which features photos and messages from his old phone.
“I got rid of my phone 2015, and moved onto email full time. I just turned my phone off December ‘15 and that was it. When I got sued, the judge ordered me to give up my old devices to the other sides lawyers, to look through messages, emails, voice notes, videos, etc, to see if there’s was anything on there to help their case. In the process, I switched on my old phone. The first message was from my friend @jamaledwards, who had recently passed away. The second was from my ex girlfriend who I hadn’t been in contact with for years. The third was a family member I haven’t spoken to in a decade. And so on. It felt like a time capsule, a time of life that I was in, and living at that time in 2015,” Sheeran explains in a post on the new account.
“Turning it on really spun me out, I found myself scrolling messages and conversations with people who are no longer here. I found myself crying at messages to friends who are now dead, who I won’t get to speak to again. I found old photos of me with people I was so close to then, but we’ve lost touch since. The whole experience was such an emotional journey.”
The singer-songwriter went on to explain he wrote the song “Old Phone” solo at 2 a.m. while he was jet lagged in India and recorded the song the following morning.
“It feels like a song that should’ve been on my debut album, but also a song I couldn’t have written until I experienced real life things happening to me. It makes me emotional to sing, I hope it finds some emotion in you too,” he adds. “Maybe it makes you switch on your old phone and have a look at where you were a decade ago too. Whatever it does, I’m glad I wrote it.”
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A post shared by Ed Sheeran (@teddysphotos)
