Ed Sheeran has announced his sixth studio album 'Subtract' with full tracklist

Ed Sheeran has announced his sixth studio album, entitled – and pronounced “subtract”.

The fifth and final entry in his series of albums titled with mathematical symbols, Sheeran wrote and recorded its 14 tracks with Aaron Dessner, a member of US alt-rock band the National who also had a major creative role in Taylor Swift’s Folklore and Evermore. It will be released on 5 May.

It is billed as a return to traditional singer-songwriter performance, after the polished pop of much of Sheeran’s catalogue; a press release promises songs ranging from “pared back, folk-leaning textures to bolder, full-band/orchestral arrangements”.

Tracklist for Ed Sheeran's ‘-’ out May 5th:

1. Boat

2. Salt Water

3. Eyes Closed

4. Life Goes On

5. Dusty

6. End of Youth

7. Colourblind

8. Curtains

9. Borderline

10. Spark

11. Vega

12. Sycamore

13. No Strings

14. The Hills of Aberfeldy

These events included his pregnant wife being diagnosed with “a tumour with no route to treatment until after the birth”; the death of “best friend … a brother to me” Jamal Edwards, the music entrepreneur whose platform SBTV helped launch Sheeran’s career; and the trial for plagiarism he eventually won in April 2022, when he had been accused of copying another song for his hit Shape of You.

“I was spiralling through fear, depression and anxiety,” Sheeran said. “For the first time I’m not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life.”

The album announcement is also accompanied by two new portraits of Sheeran by photographer Annie Leibovitz.

– follows 2021’s =, which like all but one of his previous albums reached No 1 in both the UK and US. Its singles Bad Habits and Shivers also both topped the UK chart, and a duet with Taylor Swift, The Joker and the Queen, reached No 2.

Since the album’s release, Sheeran has appeared on a globetrotting series of tracks, ranging from Nigeria’s Burna Boy to Colombia’s J Balvin, Argentina’s Paulo Londra and Jamaica’s Ishawna. Bam Bam, a collaboration with Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello, was a UK Top 10 hit, and his remix to Peru by Nigerian vocalist Fireboy DML was a long-running hit, reaching No 2 and going two times platinum in the UK. He also had a No 1 with his festive Elton John collaboration Merry Christmas in 2021, and appeared on that’s year’s Christmas No 1 with Ladbaby.

When he announced the release of ‘Subtract’, Ed explained he’d been trying to ‘sculpt the perfect acoustic album’, admitting he’d written and recorded ‘hundreds’ of songs with a clear vision of how the album would sound.

However, at the start of 2022 he said his mental health and the way he viewed music and art suddenly changed following a series of difficult life events.

He explained on Instagram: “Within the space of a month, my pregnant wife got told she had a tumour, with no route to treatment until after the birth. My best friend Jamal, a brother to me, died suddenly, and I found myself standing in court defending my integrity and career as a songwriter. I was spiralling through fear, depression and anxiety. I felt like I was drowning, head below the surface, looking up but not being able to break through for air.”

Ed went on to say he felt he couldn’t put a body of work into the world that didn’t ‘accurately represent where I am and how I need to express myself at this point in my life.’

He described ‘Subtract’ as ‘opening the trapdoor into my soul’, adding: “For the first time, I’m not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life.

Sheeran, 32, endured several wrenching experiences in the span of a month last year: He learned that his pregnant wife, Cherry Seaborn, had a tumor that could not be treated until after giving birth; the couple’s second daughter, Jupiter, arrived in May. He also dealt with the death of his best friend, Jamal, and a copyright infringement suit about his 2017 hit, “Shape of You.” (Sheeran prevailed and was awarded $1.1 million in legal fees.)

Sheeran enlisted Aaron Dessner of The National as a co-writer and producer after meeting him through mutual friend Taylor Swift. Dessner produced Swift’s lauded acoustic-based releases, “Folklore” and “Evermore.”

The pair began work on “-“ in February 2022, and crafted more than 30 songs. Those that made the final cut include “Life Goes On,” “End of Youth,” “Curtains,” “No Strings” and “The Hills of Aberfeldy.”