Ed Sheeran Releases New Single 'Eyes Closed'
English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is set to release his highly anticipated new album, "-ʼ," on May 5th through Asylum/Atlantic.
One of the most pop-leaning tracks on the album is "Eyes Closed," which Ed originally wrote as a breakup song but took on a whole new meaning after experiencing a heartbreaking loss.
This led him to revisit and reimagine the original version of the track for his highly anticipated new album, "-ʼ". "Eyes Closed" captures the essence of love and loss with its pop-leaning sound.
The official video for the song, directed by Mia Barnes, features Ed on a night out being followed by a blue monster that serves as a metaphor for grief. Ed is unable to shake it wherever he goes, reminding him of the void left in his life.
In regards to the song and video, Ed stated, "This song is about losing someone, feeling like every time you go out and you expect to just bump into them, and everything just reminds you of them and the things you did together. You sorta have to take yourself out of reality sometimes to numb the pain of loss, but certain things just bring you right back into it."
When coming up with concepts for the "Eyes Closed" music video, Ed drew inspiration from movies like "Harvey" and a book he read to his daughters where sadness is encapsulated by an imaginary creature. He wanted to create his own big blue monster for the video that gets bigger and bigger as the video progresses, eventually taking up whole rooms and becoming all that Ed can see, just like sadness.
Ed's new album, "-ʼ," which was written against a backdrop of grief and hope, was recorded with Aaron Dessner of The National in February of last year. The fourteen-track record will be released on May 5th through Asylum/Atlantic.
In addition, Ed's all-new, four-part documentary, "Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All," will air on Disney+ starting from May 3, 2023. The intimate documentary explores how his personal experiences have shaped him to become the artist he is today, blending never-before-seen personal archive footage, interviews, and performances.
By Dom Holiday - March 25, 2023