Ed Sheeran teases upcoming album with ‘Bad Habits’ single

by Raffy Santamaria / June 30, 2021

English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is back with his new single ‘Bad Habits’ (available now across all DSPs), along with a Dave Meyers-directed music video. Sheeran co-wrote and co-produced ‘Bad Habits’ with long-time collaborators, Johnny McDaid (‘Shape of You’) and FRED (No.6 Collaborations Project).

Sheeran has been out of the spotlight for quite some time now. Following his record-breaking two-year Divide tour and the arrival of his first daughter, the artist finally marks his return with ‘Bad Habits’, which showcases a new and more upbeat style compared to what fans are usually accustomed to seeing from the artist. Despite the unexpected shift in tone, Sheeran proves that he can step out of his comfort zone and explore a more up-tempo track that channels escapist energy.

In the video, we see Sheeran like we’ve never seen him before as he depicts an alter-ego vampire character. Trading his distinct ginger hair for bleached white and his teeth for fangs, the dark-humour narrative serves as a metaphor for ‘bad habits’ as he embarks on a wild night out alongside his crew of ghouls before morphing back to his real self the next morning. The official video made its global broadcast premiere on MTV Live/MTVU/MTV’s global network of channels on June 25 and was also trailed on ViacomCBS Times Square billboard.

Sheeran said, “Feels great to be back with my new single. I wanted the video for Bad Habits to play on the nature of habits in a fantastical way so I decided on vampires. It was mega fun getting into character except for the heights (that wasn’t so fun). Enjoy x”

To celebrate the release, Sheeran performed live from Ipswich Town’s Portman Road for TikTok’s UEFA Euro 2020 show. Directed by Ed’s long-term collaborator, Emil Nava, and streamed globally on TikTok (@edsheeran) on June 25. The set included a host of fan favourites in addition to Ed’s first-ever live performance of ‘Bad Habits’.

‘Bad Habits’ is Sheeran’s first official release since 2019’s UK No.1, ‘No.6 Collaborations Project’. A long-play side project that ran independently of his album sequence, it saw Ed join forces with a number of his favourite music artists including Cardi B, Bruno Mars, Camila Cabello, Eminem and Travis Scott. In just a matter of weeks, the project reaped three UK No.1 singles in ‘I Don’t Care’ with Justin Bieber, ‘Beautiful People’ feat. Khalid and ‘Take Me Back To London’ feat. Stormzy.

Ed Sheeran is currently recording his new album but with the release of Bad Habits, fans are given only a glimpse of what the artist has in store.

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