Latest news with #OldPhone
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ed Sheeran wows fans with debut performance of new song
The post Ed Sheeran wows fans with debut performance of new song appeared first on ClutchPoints. Finally, fans of Ed Sheeran have heard his new song 'Sapphire' from his upcoming album Play. He performed it during a concert for the first time during his May 30, 2025, Mathematics Tour stop in Madrid, Spain. During the next show on the following night, Sheeran once again performed it along with another unreleased song from the album called 'Opening.' Videos have surfaced of Sheeran performing the song for the first time with his loop pedal. He had previously performed acoustic versions of it at his Old Phone pub. The video showed him constructing the layers of the song. While the song is unreleased, the crowd chanted 'Sapphire!' during the chorus. 'Your lights, your face, your eyes exploding like fireworks in the sky,' Sheeran sings. 'Sapphire' is a signature Sheeran pop song. Its infectious and upbeat tone is bound to be an earworm for fans, and the official song drops on June 5, 2025, as a single. It will be the third single from his upcoming album Play. Previously, Sheeran released 'Azizam' and 'Old Phone' on April 4 and May 1, respectively. Whether or not Sheeran plans on releasing more singles for the album is unknown. Play will be released on September 12, 2025, so there will be over three months between 'Sapphire' and the album drop. Sheeran's two shows in Madrid, Spain, mark the start of the final European leg of the Mathematics Tour. In July, Sheeran will play shows in his hometown of Ipswich, England, to promote Play. The Mathematics Tour is Sheeran's longest to date. It started in 2022 and is in its fourth year on the road. It will conclude in September 2025 when he visits Germany again. A total of 168 shows are planned for the tour's run over the last few years. That is still nearly 100 fewer shows than his last tour, the Divide Tour, which stretched from March 16, 2017, to August 26, 2019. While on the Mathematics Tour, Sheeran has released two albums. Subtract and Autumn Variations both came out in 2023. Additionally, he has released a greatest hits album (The Mathematics Tour Collection) and his first live album, Tour Collection: Live.
Forbes
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Ed Sheeran's New Single Is Experiencing An Odd Chart Run
Ed Sheeran's "Old Phone" debuts at No. 25 on the Digital Song Sales chart, marking a slow start in ... More the U.S. and a quick fall from the Hot 100. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 04: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Ed Sheeran attends the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Arena on February 04, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by) Ed Sheeran typically scores a hit whenever he drops a new single in the United States and promotes it with all his might. The English singer-songwriter remains one of the most successful artists in the pop space over the past decade or two, and his discography is already filled with well-known tunes — more than most musicians manage across an entire career. Sheeran's current era is proving to be less successful than his past ones, and his most recent single is struggling on the Billboard rankings. Sheeran recently released "Old Phone" as the second single from his upcoming album Play. The tune dropped in early May and has not earned a stellar reception in the U.S. Last week, it opened on several Billboard tallies, and while it disappears from some this frame, it manages to debut on another — but only barely. This week, "Old Phone" enters the Digital Song Sales chart, narrowly finding space on the list of the top-selling tunes in the country. It lands at No. 25, in last place. Luminate reports that the track sold just 1,700 copies. Interestingly, "Old Phone" debuts on the Digital Song Sales chart a week after it reached other lists, such as the Hot 100. Typically, a new tune by a pop star starts with what may turn out to be its largest sales sum, as that's when fans are most excited to head to platforms like iTunes and Amazon to purchase the cut. "Old Phone" performed better last week in the U.S. than it did during its second frame when it comes to sales, as pure purchases dropped by 3.5%. The tally was busier last time around, which meant there wasn't room for Sheeran's latest. As "Old Phone" arrives on the Digital Song Sales chart, it concurrently falls away from the Hot 100. The single debuted at No. 89 last week, which may turn out to be its peak. After just one stay on the list of the most popular tunes in America, it has vanished. "Old Phone" may be gone from the Hot 100, but its predecessor is still present. "Azizam" dips to No. 54 in its sixth frame on the ranking. Radio is largely keeping that tune afloat, as it appears inside the top 10 on two of Billboard's pop radio lists and approaches that highest tier on another. It can also be found on the all-genre Radio Songs tally, as DJs are usually keen to keep Sheeran's music in rotation due to the large audience for his work.
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Ed Sheeran reflects on $100M copyright trial as he performs 'emotional' new single inspired by the case for the first time during surprise appearance at Radio 1's Big Weekend
Ed Sheeran made a surprise appearance at Radio 1's Big Weekend on Saturday, where he performed a new song inspired by his $100 million copyright trial. The singer, 34, wrote the track after revisiting an old phone during the lawsuit over his hit 'Thinking Out Loud.' He had been accused of copying Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On but was cleared in court in 2023. Now, taking to the stage at the Liverpool-based festival, Ed opened up about the inspiration behind his new song Old Phone before performing it for the first time in front of a crowd. Referring to his copyright trail, told the crowd: 'The judge ordered me to give up my old devices to the other lawyers for them to go through all my text messages and emails and photos and stuff like that. 'And in that process I switched on a phone that I had not looked at in 10 years and it was like looking into the past and it was conversations with people who had passed away. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to Daily Mail's showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. He continued: 'There was arguments with an ex-girlfriend, there was, you know, text messages and pictures from people that I haven't seen or spoken to in, in 10 years, and I wrote this song about it called Old phone.' Ed's performance was announced just moments before he surprised the crowd with his unexpected appearance. He told fans he chose to perform on the New Music Stage because it was the only one he hadn't sung on yet. A source at Big Weekend told MailOnline: 'Ed came on as a surprise guest kicking off the opening act on Saturday lunchtime, I've never seen festival goers swarm a stage so quickly. 'He played a number of his hits and also included some of his new songs which the crowd the loved. 'Ed explained the meaning behind his one new song where he opened up about his court case and how finding old phone was the inspiration. 'As he started Azizam he did mess up his famous loop but he started again and told the crowd 'that's how you know I'm playing live'. 'He was on for an hour and nearly ran over time but the crowd didn't want it to end.' During his set in Liverpool, Ed also performed fan favourites including Castle on the Hill, Shivers, The A-Team, and Photograph. He went on to perform his hit Shape of You before closing the epic, surprise show with Bad Habits. It comes after Ed broke down in tears in March 2023 after a jury found his hit song Thinking Out Loud did not copy Marvin Gaye's classic 'Let's Get It On'. As the jury at Manhattan federal court cleared Ed of infringing copyright, he briefly put his hands over his face in relief before standing and hugging his lawyer. His co-writer Amy Wadge said she and Ed 'had a few tears' of relief after winning the $100million case. Speaking outside the court, he said: 'I'm just a guy with a guitar who loves writing music for people to enjoy. I am not and will not allow myself to be a piggy bank.' Ed vehemently denied allegations that his song stole fundamental musical elements from Marvin's song. The singer had staked his whole career on the case, vowing that he would be 'done' with music if found guilty. Ed added: 'I'm obviously very happy with the outcome of the case and it looks like I'm not having to retire from my day job after all. 'At the same time I'm unbelievably frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all. 'We've spent the last eight years talking about two songs with dramatically different lyrics, melodies and four chords which are also different and used by songwriters every day all over the world. 'These chords are common building blocks which were used to create music long before Let's Get It On was written and will be used to create music long after we are all gone. 'They are in a songwriter's alphabet, our toolkit, and should be there for all of us to use. 'No one owns them or the way they are played, in the same way that no one owns the color blue.' He added that if the verdict had gone the other way 'we might as well say goodbye to the creative freedom of songwriters' and that artists need to be able to create original music 'without worrying at every step on the way that said creativity will be wrongly called into question'. 'It is devastating to be accused of stealing someone else's song when we put so much work into our livelihoods,' he added. The singer also said he missed his grandmother's funeral in Ireland because of the trial, and that he 'won't get that time back'. ED SHEERAN: SHAPE OF YOU Sheeran's victory in Manhattan Thursday was his second such case in two years, after he also won a plagiarism battle over his 2017 hit Shape Of You. A judge in the UK High Court ruled that Sheeran had not copied the 2015 song Oh Why by Sami Chokri. The grime artist, who performs under the name Sami Switch, had claimed the 'Oh I' hook in Shape Of You was 'strikingly similar' to an 'Oh why' refrain on his track. Sheeran said after the ruling that such 'baseless' claims were 'way too common'. Judge Antony Zacaroli ruled that Sheeran had 'neither deliberately nor subconsciously copied' Chokri's song. He recognised 'similarities between the one-bar phrase' in Shape of You and Oh Why, but said 'such similarities are only a starting point for a possible infringement' of copyright. He added that there were 'differences between the relevant parts' of the songs, which 'provide compelling evidence that the 'Oh I' phrase' in Sheeran's song 'originated from sources other than Oh Why'. During the case, Sheeran appeared stung by the accusation that he had stolen another artist's work without giving them due credit. Chokri and his co-write Ross O'Donoghue were ordered to pay Sheeran $1.1million in legal fees after the case. ED SHEERAN: PHOTOGRAPH Sheeran also faced a copyright suit over his hit song Photograph after he was accused of 'note-for-note copying' the track 'Amazing', recorded by British X Factor winner Matt Cardle. The case was reportedly settled out of court after the song's writers had filed a lawsuit in 2016 seeking $20million. Martin Harrington and Thomas Leonard's complaint said Sheeran and his writing partner 'copied and exploited... the work of other active, professional songwriters, on a breathtaking scale, unabashedly taking credit for the work of these songwriters...' The lawsuit alleged that the chorus of 'Photograph' and Cardle's 'Amazing' share 39 identical notes. ROBIN THICKE: BLURRED LINES Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams were ordered to pay the family of Marvin Gaye $5million after they were found to have copied one of his hits. The duo were found to have copied Gaye's 1977 hit Got to Give It Up for their track Blurred Lines. Gaye's family initially won the case in 2015, which was upheld by a California court on appeal in 2018. The family were also awarded 50 percent of all future royalties earned by Blurred Lines. But the $5million payout was a fraction of the $16.6m Williams and Thicke were revealed to have made from the song during the initial trial. Some within the music industry slammed the initial verdict for punishing Thicke's song over copying the 'feel' of Gaye's classic - rather than directly plagiarizing musical phrases or lyrics. The appeal court also split on this, and one of the three judges dissented from the ruling. Circuit Judge Jacqueline Nguyen said the two songs 'differed in melody, harmony and rhythm' and wrote that the verdict 'strikes a devastating blow to future musicians and composers everywhere'. The verdict sparked a number of similar cases against artists including Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson, Madonna and Miley Cyrus. LED ZEPPELIN STAIRWAY: TO HEAVEN Rock legends Led Zeppelin won a six-year legal tussle to prove they had not copied a song by Randy California for their iconic track 'Stairway to Heaven'. The estate of the late California filed a lawsuit in 2014 alleging that the Zeppelin song had been nicked from the single 'Taurus' by the 1960s band Spirit, for whom California had been the lead guitarist. In 2020, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a jury verdict that found the song had not been copied. Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant told the BBC in 2021: 'There are zillions and zillions of songs that are carrying the same chord progression, so it was very unfortunate, and it was unpleasant for everybody.' GEORGE HARRISON: MY SWEET LORD Former Beatle George Harrison was found guilty of 'subconsciously' plagiarizing the 1962 John Mack tune 'He's So Fine' for his 1970 hit 'My Sweet Lord'. The 1976 case saw Judge Richard Owen of the US District Court in Manhattan find Harrison guilty of copyright infringement but 'not deliberately'. Owen, himself a composer, said: 'It is clear that My Sweet Lord is the very same song as 'He's So Fine.' This is, under the law infringement of copyright and is no less so even though subconsciously accomplished.' Owen said it was apparent from the trial evidence that Harrison had not been conscious of the fact that he was plagiarizing the theme of 'He's So Fine'. But he added: 'In seeking musical materials to clothe his came to the surface of his mind a particular combination that pleased him as being one he felt would be appealing to a prospective listener...[Mr. Harrison's subconscious mind] knew this combination of sounds would work because it already had worked in a song his conscious mind did not remember.'
Forbes
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Ed Sheeran Matches Kelly Clarkson's Historic Radio Record
Ed Sheeran is currently promoting two singles in the United States, as he continues to focus on pushing 'Azizam,' the lead cut from his upcoming album Play. Meanwhile, his latest track, 'Old Phone,' debuts and gets off to a much a slower start than its predecessor. Though its initial placement isn't impressive, that latter tune could gain traction in the coming weeks, especially with increased promotion at pop radio. 'Azizam,' on the other hand, is steadily growing into a proper radio smash. As it climbs on one of Billboard's pop airplay rankings this frame, it helps the English singer-songwriter match one of the most successful acts in American pop radio history. 'Azizam' ascends from No. 11 to No. 8 on the current edition of the Adult Pop Airplay chart. This marks its first appearance in the top 10. The track is now his seventeenth top 10 on this specific pop radio ranking, which focuses on stations targeting a more mature pop-loving audience. With this new hit, Sheeran ties Kelly Clarkson for the fourth-most top 10 placements in the history of the Adult Pop Airplay chart. He also passes Katy Perry, who has earned 16 top 10s on the same list throughout her career. Taylor Swift holds the record for the most top 10s on the Adult Pop Airplay chart with 32. Maroon 5 follows with 27, and Pink rounds out the top three with an even 20. 'Azizam' is currently present on all three of Billboard's pop radio rosters, but it is only climbing on the Adult Pop Airplay tally. This frame, it is steady at No. 11 on the Adult Contemporary list and holds at No. 13 on the Pop Airplay ranking. These positions are the track's all-time highs thus far, and whether it can rise again is uncertain, as its momentum may have slowed. As 'Azizam' edges upward on just the one radio tally, 'Old Phone' manages to debut on only one U.S.-based Billboard ranking. Sheeran's newest focus track enters the Hot 100 at No. 89. It performs slightly better on the Billboard Global 200, starting at No. 75, though it fares worse on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S., where it launches at No. 95.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ed Sheeran Builds an ‘Old Phone' Pub for Small New England Town in New Video
'The song is all about finding my old phone,' Ed Sheeran says of his latest single, 'Old Phone,' in the new music video for it. 'I was finding text messages from people that aren't even here anymore, and reading conversations with people that I wish that I could have conversations with now. So, I thought I'd build a pub somewhere and do a gig, but I put it out there to my fans and said 'If you want to come to this gig, go on your old phone and find a message that means a lot to you, or a video that means a lot to you.' The music video is that vision realized, a documentary-style short directed by Emil Nava that tracks the pub being built in Ipswich, Massachusetts. A large crowd convenes around it and Sheeran. He hands out handshakes, gives high-fives hanging out of an SUV, and takes photos with fans before the pub is opened. He performs outside it, the camera zooming in on people recording the show with their new phones, and then, later, a more intimate crowd watches projections of the images they submitted on a wall outside. An older woman describes her video of her four-year-old and preteen daughters playing in the street. 'They are two of five, two are on this side of heaven, the other three are on the other side,' she says. More from Rolling Stone Fiona Apple Drops First Song in 5 Years to Support Mothers in Pretrial Detention Ed Sheeran Presses 'Play' on Upcoming Album With Nostalgic Single 'Old Phone' Ed Sheeran, Doja Cat, Burna Boy, Rosé, and More Feature on 'F1' Soundtrack The video culminates in an 'Old Phone' performance inside the pub, where Sheeran and his guests drink dark beers. In other clips, Sheeran is watching his own footage in a small room, his eyes glassy towards the end. 'It was it was really cool to watch that and to be able to just share with him some of our stories,' the mother from earlier says. 'Old Phone' follows 'Azizam' as Sheeran's singles from his forthcoming album Play, set to arrive everywhere on September 12. Over the past few weeks, Sheeran foreshadowed the song by sharing rare photos from his real old phone and launching the @teddysoldphone Instagram account. Per a press release, he had stopped using it in 2015 and transitioned to only email. He recently performed the song for the first time on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
