Ed Sheeran Unveils A Video For The New Single ‘Sapphire,’ His Favorite Song On His Upcoming Album

We still have a ways to go until we hear Ed Sheeran’s new album Play, as it’s set to drop in September. Thankfully, he’s been generous with sharing singles leading up to the release, and today (June 5), he’s back with another new one: “Sapphire,” which arrives alongside a video.

The video was shot in India (an appropriate choice given some of the song’s instrumentation), and it serves as a love letter to the country, similarly to how his “Azizam” video paid homage to Persian weddings.

He says of the song:

“Sapphire was the first song I finished for Play that made me know where the album was heading. It’s why I finished the recording process in Goa surrounded by some of the best musicians in India. It was an incredible creative process. I shot the music video with Liam and Nic across my India tour earlier this year, we wanted to showcase the beauty and breadth of the country and its culture. The final jigsaw piece for me was getting Arijit on the record. It was a journey to get there and such an amazing day of music and family. Me and him have done a full Punjabi version of the song that will come out in the next few weeks, which has a lot more of him on it. This is the album version of the song, and my favourite song on the album. Hope you guys love it. X.”

Sheeran also previously said of the album, “Play was an album that was made as a direct response to the darkest period of my life. Coming out of all of that I just wanted to create joy and technicolour, and explore cultures in the countries I was touring. I made this record all over the world, finished it in Goa, India, and had some of the most fun, explorative creative days of my life. It’s a real rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish, it encapsulates everything that I love about music, and the fun in it, but also where I am in life as a human, a partner, a father.”

Watch the “Sapphire” video above.

Play is out 9/12 via Gingerbread Man Records/Atlantic Records. Find more information here.