Ed Sheeran has surprised fans by announcing he has recorded a live version of his forthcoming album Autumn Variations. If this wasn’t enough for his fan base, he has also revealed that the recordings were made by surprising a lucky selection of people and giving performances in their homes.
In a post on the singer’s Instagram page, he shared a video of him performing his song “Wake Me Up” from his 2011 album + in the living room of an overwhelmed and excited fan.
Sheeran said in his post “So I did some surprise pop up gigs in fans houses, secretly recording a live version of Autumn Variations where each song is recorded in a different fans living room, but all of it was a total surprise.” The Instagram teaser also revealed that “The fan living room live Autumn Variations album coming soon, proper album out September 29th go preorder you legends x”.
The pop star’s upcoming seventh album is produced by Aaron Dessner of American band The National, who also worked with Sheeran on his album - (Subtract) which was released in May and marked the end of the singer’s so-called “mathematical era”. In a statement via Rolling Stone, Sheeran spoke on working with Dessner, stating “When I recorded ‘-’ (‘Subtract’) with Aaron Dessner, we clicked immediately. We wrote and recorded non-stop and this album was born out of that partnership. I feel he has captured the feeling of autumn so wonderfully in his sonics and I hope everyone loves it as much as I do.”.
It is said that Sheeran’s upcoming Autumn Variations is inspired by a piece of 19th century orchestral work by composer Edward Elgar, titled Enigma Variations.
Sheeran will be promoting his new album by performing Autumn Variations in full at London’s Royal Albert Hall this November. Tickets are available here.
Recording the live version of Autumn Variations is not the only surprise the “Eyes Closed” singer has given fans recently. Last week, the musician surprised two fans in Las Vegas by giving an unplanned performance at their wedding. For their special day, Sheeran performed the song “Magical” from his upcoming LP. The singer uploaded this moment to his Instagram, with the caption “Crashed a wedding, this is Magical x”
You can preorder Autumn Variations here.
Tour dates:
18/11/2023 – Royal Albert Hall – London
19/11 – Royal Albert Hall – London
