Ed Sheeran already has released two albums, which had titles that were merely addition and multiplication signs respectively. So it was safe to assume that Sheeran's next studio album would be entitled something along those lines. However, the "Thinking Out Loud" singer has been a bit cryptic in teasing his next release.
Sheeran had only made his return to the world of music last December 2016, when he wrote "When Christmas Comes Around" for X Factor winner Matt Terry, the Mirror reported. Lately, he has been posting a number of cryptic videos on his social media accounts over the past couple of days. These posts came after he made the surprise announcement that he would be releasing new music early in 2017.
Sheeran told his fans to expect new music coming on Jan. 6. A couple of days before this hinted release, he has posted a video of a division sign (possibly his next album's title) as well as another video containing what could be a lyric in one of his new songs. Another clue could be how these images were posted with a blue background, the plain version of which Sheeran uses as his social media display picture.
A yearlong hiatus was the reason for Sheeran's disappearance from the music industry. Sheeran was "taking a break from [his] phone, emails and all social media for a while" because he had started "seeing the world through a screen and not my eyes," the singer revealed in an interview with NME. "The third album is on its way and is the best thing I have made thus far. See you all next autumn, and thank you for being amazing," he added.
It is not yet known, however, when Sheeran will make a return to performing live in front of sold-out crowds. Last October 2016, betting was suspended on Sheeran being the headlining act of the popular music festival Glastonbury in 2017. Although the organizers of the event have revealed that the acts are already 90 percent booked, they are not ruling out making any major announcements late on just before the festival kicks off.
Watch one of Sheeran's live shows below: