Ed Sheeran Hits “Play” on Album #8 — But Canada’s Still on Pause

Grab your headphones, because Ed Sheeran has officially dropped his eighth studio album, fittingly titled Play.

And yes, there’s a tour to go with it — but don’t get too excited, Canada, because we’re apparently still stuck on the “buffering” screen.

A Soundtrack for Joy

Sheeran says Play was born out of the darkest period of his life, and making it was like cranking the brightness up on a gloomy playlist. His words: he wanted to “create joy and technicolour.” Translation: expect bops, not ballads that make you cry in the car.

The album was recorded all over the world, with the final touches happening in Goa, India, which might explain why the music has a bit of “beach sunset cocktail” energy.

A Timeline of Hits

It’s wild to think Sheeran’s been serving up chart-toppers for more than a decade. He dropped Autumn Variations in 2023, and before that, he blessed us with math-class-inspired albums: Plus, Multiply, Divide, Subtract, and Equals.

Now, he’s moving into button-based titles — Pause, Rewind, Fast-Forward, and Stop are all reportedly on deck. (At this rate, by 2040, we’ll be unwrapping Ed Sheeran: The Remote Control Collection.)

Touring, But Not Here (Yet)

The tour kicks off with the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas on Sept. 20, then he’s off to Europe, New Zealand, and Australia through spring 2026. Sadly, no Canadian dates have been announced yet.

The closest stop for us is New Jersey, which is basically “Toronto South” if you squint hard enough.

RELATED: Watch Chris Hemsworth on Drums During Ed Sheeran’s ‘Thinking Out Loud’ LIVE

Why We’ll Still Stream It Anyway

With Ed ranking as the sixth most-streamed artist on Spotify, and Shape of You still living rent-free in our heads since 2017, Canadians will likely forgive the snub. After all, we’ve survived worse — like paying $12 for a Caesar salad.

👉 Question for you: If Ed Sheeran did announce a Canadian date, which city should he hit first — Toronto, Vancouver, or somewhere fun like Moncton just to keep us guessing?