Ed Sheeran’s fifth album looks set to be released in 2022.
The ‘Shivers’ singer releases his new LP ‘=’ on Friday (29.10.21), but his manager Stuart Camp has teased that fans won’t have long to wait before they hear the follow-up.
Speaking about the Grammy-winner’s 2022 tour in support of the record and his future music plans, Stuart is quoted by The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column as saying: “This tour is going to span three or four years, and there will be another record within that cycle, that was always the plan.
“It’s more a question of stopping him putting another record out the week after this one.”
Fans of the flame-haired pop megastar had to wait four years for 2017’s ‘÷’, the follow-up to 2014’s ‘x’, but they won’t have as long a wait this time, as Ed is eager to get his new material out while it’s relevant.
Stuart explained: “The material is there and it won’t be another four-year wait, I can promise you.
“Ed already knows what the next album is. He’s already got a track-listing for it, and I will get that changed over the next 12 months.
“Ed writes so many songs, and he wants to get them out, he doesn’t want them just sitting on his hard drive.”
Meanwhile, the ‘Supermarket Flowers’ singer has been dealt a blow after testing positive for COVID-19.
The 30-year-old star is self-isolating but will continue to perform and give planned interviews from home in Suffolk.
Ed wrote on Instagram over the weekend: “Hey guys, quick note to tell you that I’ve sadly tested positive for Covid, so I’m now self-isolating and following government guidelines.
“It means that I’m now unable to plough ahead with any in-person commitments for, so I’ll be doing as many of my planned interviews/performances I can from my house.”
The ‘Bad Habits’ hitmaker – whose hit single placed second in the OREO Taste of the Nation Mixtape track-list 2021, a compilation of favourite tracks as voted for by Brits – added: “Apologies to anyone I’ve let down, be safe everyone x (sic)”
Ed had been set to join Apple Music’s Zane Lowe to play songs from the record and take questions from fans as part of the promotion.
In the summer, the ‘Castle on the Hill’ star had been forced to self-isolate after possible contact with somebody who had tested positive for coronavirus.