Ed Sheeran's Pop-Leaning "Eyes Closed" Comes to Terms With Depression and Loss

Ed Sheeran has just presented some new music to the world and the song sees the British artist come to terms with depression and grief following the loss of his close friends Jamal Edwards and Shane Warne.

Earlier this month, Sheeran announced that his new single “Eyes Closed” would be coming soon as the lead single to his forthcoming fifth album, Subtract. He also confirmed that the concept behind “Eyes Closed” would be dedicated to his close friend, Jamal Edwards, the owner of the iconic music platform SB.TV, who passed away from a fatal drug overdose last year.

However, it has also recently been announced that the new single also pays homage to Australian cricketer Shane Warne, who passed after experiencing a heart attack last year. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Sheeran stated that he “didn’t want to live anymore,” following the passing of his two friends.

Now, the official release of “Eyes Closed” has been presented as a pop-influenced track, while the overall context is a harrowing account about “losing someone, feeling like every time you go out and you expect to just bump into them, and everything just reminds you of them and the things you did together,” as Sheeran explained in a press release.

You can check out the official visuals for “Eyes Closed” above and the single is also available to stream below.

In other news, listen to the new single from FLO featuring Missy Elliott.