If you saw my last article, you know that I have been following the return of Ed Sheeran. We knew that Ed would be returning with "new music" on Friday, January 6th at midnight, after a hiatus that lasted over a year.
SO *bad fan* I fell asleep before midnight even though I knew that this new music would be released. At 3:30 AM I woke up, by accident, and immediately checked my social media to see what I had missed. It was discovered that two singles, "Shape Of You" and "Castle On The Hill" were released - in anticipation for "Divide." Let me tell you, Ed was scammed out of the Grammy for "Album Of The Year" for "Multiply," but I don't think that will be the case for "Divide".
Here I am, 3:30 AM and listening to new music that is bound to make me somewhat emotional. Somewhat? Okay... more like a ball of emotion that should probably just go back to sleep. Instead, I'll write this article.
HEAD'S UP: If you have not listened to these songs yet, I strongly advise that you listen to "Shape Of You" first. "Why?" you may ask. I guarantee that "Castle On The Hill" will make it difficult for you to appreciate how much of a jam "Shape Of You" actually is.
With the anticipation and build up of "Shape Of You" as a single, we can assume that this will be the first radio single for "Divide." After all, this song was given its own Snapchat filter. (If you don't know what I mean: On Thursday, Snapchat featured a filter that gave you blue sunglasses as a rave-like/disco-ball light flashed as the first 30 seconds of "Shape Of You" played. How's THAT for advertising?!) "Shape Of You" has a similar vibe to "Sing" when "Sing" was released a single for "Multiply". It is fun. It is jam worthy. It makes you want to sing and dance along.
Listen here.
About 17 hours ago - Ed released little 10-second snippets of the first few beats of these new singles. On the mini preview of what would eventually be known as "Castle On The Hill", I made a comment to my sister about how it was going to change my life. Don't believe me? Just look at the comments.
(I'm caspeel).
Let's just say, I was right. With the continuous anticipation for a build-up, beginning right when the music starts, you automatically feel empowered. Beginning with lyrics like "When I was six years old, I broke my leg" in the first verse, and jumping to "fifteen years old" in the second verse, we are able to understand that Ed is reflecting on his life. You can actually hear his passion by the vocal notes he chooses.
Listen here.
By the sounds of it - he's just getting started. After all, he's on his way, and I can't wait to hear what else he releases along the way.