Ed Sheeran has seemingly revealed the title of his upcoming album in a comment on social media. The pop star, who has been teasing his 2025 return, shared some insights about the sound of the record.
In a response to an Instagram post on @memezar’s page, Sheeran appeared to confirm that his next album will be called Play. The post highlighted Sheeran’s recent profile picture change, sparking speculation about his next move. A fan referenced his “Mathematics” album series, which included five records: + (2011), x (2014), ÷ (2017), = (2021), and – (2023).
Sheeran humorously replied, "Irony is if you ask me anything maths related I would fail the question, I never finished high school." He ended his comment with, "Play coming soon though."
In another comment, Sheeran joked with a fan who speculated that his next series of albums would be named "Play, Pause, Stop, Rewind, Skip," responding, "might skip Skip tbf."
This isn’t the first time the Play title has been hinted at. In 2023, Sheeran posted, “See you sometime next year when we press Play again on pop, and have a good holiday season x.” He also confirmed in 2022 that he would be releasing “10 symbol records,” with the next set not being math-themed.
Play would mark Sheeran’s eighth studio album, following Autumn Variations in 2023. In December, he teased that the new record would return to “big pop” sounds, saying, “It feels like I’m getting back into big pop for the first time in a long time, and it’s quite exciting.”
Sheeran is currently on his Mathematics tour, with upcoming performances scheduled in various locations worldwide.