“Just remember life is more than fittin’ in your jeans. It’s love and understanding, positivity.”
These lyrics are from the song, “What Do I Know?” off of 26 year old English singer Ed Sheeran’s third and most recent album, “Divide.” The album was released just on Mar. 3 and within 24 hours had sold more than 232,000 copies, not including streaming downloads on apps such as Spotify, where it currently holds the highest number of first-day streams for an album at 56,727,861. Aside from its record crushing, Sheeran’s album is emotionally crushing as well.
The world got a first glimpse of the album when the single “Castle on the Hill” was released on Jan. 6. The song is highly nostalgic and emotional, much like the accompanying tracks. Sheeran has explored many various styles of music: acoustic, pop and rap, but his guitar is always a favorite instrument making an appearance in all his songs. One song, “Bibia Be Ye Ye” attempts to give listeners a South-African vibe and even if it isn’t met, the attempt is present and still remarkable. Billboard.com has already gone and given each track a superlative, including: Most Visual Storytelling, Most Passionate Vocal Strain and Biggest Homage to His Past Material which will please many of Sheeran’s older fans. He’s been in the music industry since 2004 and many have still stuck with him, no matter how much of a household name he is today.
Sheeran was planned on releasing “Divide” in Sep. 2016, and then Nov. 2016 according to Entertainment Weekly, but delayed it due to the presidential election, and then Bruno Mars and The Weeknd released their albums soon after.
“It feels like a clean start, this year, I don’t feel any-like any time I’ve ever come out there’s always been another person. Like, remember the first year I came out, being nominated for every award. But then Adele was nominated for every award, and I’d kind of turn up and be like, ‘Oh, uh yeah.’ But this year it kinda feels like there’s no one there. I’m very, very confident in this year. This year is mine,” said Sheeran to Entertainment Weekly.
Personal favorites off “Divide:” Supermarket Flowers, Dive, Castle on the Hill, Barcelona, and Perfect.
