Home Q News Music News Ed Sheeran reveals how Taylor Swift helped him create his new album

Ed Sheeran reveals how Taylor Swift helped him create his new album

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Atlantic Records

Turns out we have Taylor Swift to thank for Ed's new album, -, pronounced Subtract.

Ed wrote and produced the album with Aaron Dessner of The National, who worked with Taylor on her albums folkore and evermore. It turns out she introduced the two in 2021.

"She thought he and I would make something great together," his wrote in a lengthy Instagram post. "I have to be honest I was a bit reticent to work with him that soon after folklore and evermore because I felt that was Taylors thing and they had both been done so perfectly."

Ed said he agreed to meet Aaron for dinner, and the producer "promised to send me some instrumentals for me to write over whenever inspiration hit." Ed was impressed by what was sent "and knew that one day I would write to them."

He ended up putting Aaron's music "on the backburner" because he "was finishing up what I thought was Subtract."

So, what changed? Ed shifted gears after a tumultuous 2022 that saw death of his best friend Jamal Edwards, a lawsuit accusing him of plagiarizing "Shape of You" and his wife, Cherry, facing a serious medical issue while expecting their second child.

"I just felt the need to vent about on song and write diaristically about them. I had Aarons instrumentals, so just started writing, and writing, and writing," he explained. Aaron then flew over and "recorded [the album] in a week by the seaside."

"Its just been the most incredible process, and an album I'm so bloody proud of," Ed raved. He thanked his producers for "bringing out a side of me I had put on mute for so long."

He ended his post with, "And of course, thanks to Swizzle, as always, you rock."

Subtract arrives May 5.

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