At last, he has returned! After a one-year hiatus, and only his 2014 album X (multiply) to hold fans over, Ed Sheeran is back in the music game.
With two new singles, Sheeran has once again taken the world by storm with his seemingly effortless talent.
The lyrical poet and gifted musician with a beautiful vocal range sweeps us away into his weird world of romantically-satirical and honest hip-hop, folk, pop hybrid sound with new tracks “Castle on the Hill” and “Shape of You”.
The UK musician has been making headlines since his triumphant return to social media after a one-year hiatus three weeks ago.
Keeping fans eagerly waiting at the edge of their seats, Sheeran has been steadily posting cryptic messages on his Instagram, dropping hints as to what fans could expect.
Finally, at midnight Eastern time on Friday, he put out the message that fans would be gifted two fresh singles.
“Castle on the Hill”
A song that is dripping with the memories of his younger years, 'Castle on the Hill' transports fans back in time to relive some of their own fond memories from the good old days.
“I can’t wait to go home” is a line that pierces you right in the heart.
Sheeran perfectly captures the feelings of nostalgia that comes with reminiscing, and the feeling you get while cruising down the streets of your hometown.
With a gradual building drumbeat, inspirational guitar plucking and of course, Sheeran’s stunning vocals that jump from smooth as honey to grueling with passion, 'Castle on the Hill' has just set the bar as the ballad of 2017.
Originally written for Rihanna, this polar opposite of “Castle on the Hill” has Sheeran showing off his diversity with this hip-hop infused pop track, making us even happier that he kept it for himself.
Imagine if @edsheeran had given Shape Of You to @rihanna 🤔🤔 #R1Sheeran pic.twitter.com/dZdCmN3ROl
— BBC Radio1 Breakfast (@R1Breakfast) January 6, 2017
“Shape of You”
A simple base track that slowly builds and goes through twists and turns is akin to the majority of Sheeran’s previous musical make up.
It's a testament to his compositional abilities, and the capability of a single musician, hyping fans up to hear how Sheeran will perform the song live.
“Shape of You” is the first track of 2017 to begin reshaping the pop genre and will hopefully trigger a domino effect.
A homage to Sheeran’s unique hip-hop hybrids fueled by clever and catchy lyrics, this sultry track will be on the playlist of many club DJ’s by the weekend.
The two tracks are available for purchase and streaming on iTunes, Spotify, and Apple Music.
If you were looking for new songs to kick off 2017 with a fresh start look no further than our beloved ginger pop star, Ed Sheeran.
If you get value from KelownaNow and believe local independent media is important to our community we ask that you please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter.
If you appreciate what we do, we ask that you consider supporting our local independent news platform.
