Ed Sheeran released the first single from his upcoming album “Subtract” dropping on May 5th.
“Eyes Closed” is a touching tribute to his friend Jamal Edwards, who sadly died in 2022 and Ed has been struggling with his loss.
Ed posted the video on Instagram with the caption “This song means the absolute world to me, it’s the start of an album I’d been overthinking for years and feel like I’ve finally made the perfect representation of where I am right now. I’m so excited for the next stage, and today marks the beginning of that. I hope this song connects with you the way it feels to me when I sing it, I really, really love it. Eyes closed out now, Subtract out May 5th x”
Sheeran sings “I pictured this year a little bit different when it hit February. I step in the bar, it hit me so hard, oh, how can it be this heavy? Every song reminds me you’re gone and I feel the lump form in my throat ’cause I’m here alone.”
In the chorus Ed sings about dancing with his “Eyes Closed” because he still seees Jamal “everywhere” he looks. “I don’t know what else that I can do, so I’ll keep dancin’ with my eyes closed”
Jamal gave Ed his first big break in the music biz and worked closely over the years. He was just 31 years old when he died of cardiac arrhythmia in February 2022 after taking cocaine and drinking alcohol according to the coroner. Sheeran said the tragedy convinced him to kick a drug habit he had developed in his 20s. Ed also lost his good friend cricketer Shane Warne in 2022 and felt depressed to the point he couldn’t go on but his wife Cherry Seaborn encouraged him to get help. Cherry suffered from health issues while pregnant with their second was told she had a tumor and treatment was not possible until the baby was born.
The couple have both been through alot but forge on best as possible and tell their story in a new documentary on Disney+ “The Sum of It All” set to premiere on May 3.
Featured Image from Twiter/EdSheeran
Video from YouTube: Ed Sheeran
