Ed Sheeran drops long awaited new album =

Sharing his first record since he got married and had his first child, Ed Sheeran has released his much anticipated new album = (pronounced equals).

Featuring two Irish Number One singles, 'Shiver' and 'Bad Habits', = is the pop superstar's fifth full-length LP and is the first since 2019's No.6 Collaborations Project.

In an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music, Sheeran talked about how the album was somewhat inspired by the death of his close friend and mentor, Australian music executive Michael Gudinski.

"There are so many things that have happened in my life and I feel, not in an evangelical way, but I feel very reborn in my 30s," he said.

"I think having my mate die and realise that tomorrow isn’t promised and every day is actually a real joy to be around because I spent a lot of time moping about things in my 20s and finding reasons to be upset.

"I’ve spent a lot of my 20s questioning: Who am I? Why am I here? Why do I do this? If I’m a singer, what do I add to the world?

Sheeran will be playing eight hours in Ireland next year, supporting the record on his + – = ÷ x Tour ( The Mathematics Tour).

He announced extra Irish shows due to massive demand for gigs in Belfast, Dublin, Limerick and Cork.

Listen to Ed Sheeran's new album = below.