On March 3, 2017, Ed Sheeran's fans (also known as "Sheerios") were lucky enough to receive his third album, Divide. After much success with his first two albums, including hits such as "Thinking Out Loud" and "The A Team", many found it hard to believe that he would be able create something even better. Earlier this year, Sheeran teased the album's new sound by releasing two tracks that took over the charts and radio overnight. "Shape of You" and "Castle on the Hill" allowed listeners and musicians to realize that his new era would be an effective one.
Personally, as a fan of Ed Sheeran's since 2012, it is clear to see that he has grown into a unique and expressive musician with intense passion and purpose. After listening to Divide, this became immensely evident. Critics have even revealed that they are having extreme difficulty finding anything wrong with it. Although the album could be described as a bit strange, it is everything fans could have hoped for.
Beginning with the track "Eraser," Sheeran immediately gets personal about living the life of a "star" and how it is not all that it is imagined to be. His lyrics are incredibly sincere, honest and sometimes quite ironic. He makes it clear that he is a normal man who goes through the same struggles as an average 26 year old with a simple life does. The songs on Divide have a range of messages including the world's problems, love, nostalgia, and personal issues. In comparison to his other works, each song has a different type of sound and a variety of instruments in addition to Sheeran's beautiful voice. Songs on the album, such as "Galway Girl," reveal a touch of his culture and introduce a new type of sound to much surprise.
Although Sheeran is clearly open about his life, he is not the type of artist to look for recognition or always need to be in the spotlight. The lyrics of this album visibly portray his modesty and desperate need of escape from his hectic life under the world's microscope sometimes. Sheeran has arguably already had the best year of his career, only three months into 2017, and is taking the world by storm.
In terms of impact on the music industry and world, Sheeran has currently broke many records and has remained on the charts week after week. He is surpassing long lasting records from artists of a variety of genres, including Calvin Harris. Harris recently tweeted "Ed Sheeran just beat my UK record Top 10s from 1 album in ONE WEEK congrats Ed but also f**k you". Divide has also now has taken over the Spotify record for highest number of first day streams for an album. The number of streams he had was 56,727,861 which is practically twice as many as the previous record held by The Weeknd.
Sheeran has left many speechless and in disbelief with the effect of his current masterpiece. He continues to remain steady on the charts and influences the industry and his fanbase with his incredibly touching lyrics. This is arguably the most credible album of his career and proves that nothing is stopping him from improving and increasing his success. Divide is without-a-doubt a track by track masterpiece that is raw, real and genuine without much filter.
