Mumbai– Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has described his collaboration with Indian artists Arijit Singh and Karan Aujla on his new album Play as a “fun experience,” calling it one of the most memorable creative journeys of his career.
In a heartfelt social media post, Sheeran reflected on completing Play in India, where he has spent much of the past decade performing and connecting with local musicians. “Making and finishing Play in India was such a fun experience,” he wrote. “Over the last decade touring and meeting local artists, I’ve been introduced to all types of music and cultures. I wanted to represent as much as I could on this EP.”
Sheeran’s post also offered a track-by-track breakdown, beginning with his collaboration with Punjabi sensation Karan Aujla. “Symmetry ft. @karanaujla — Karan is culture, and I love the movement he’s making with Ikky at the moment. It’s been so cool watching what he’s built and becoming a part of that world and journey. He taught me the Punjabi bits on this song in the studio, and we got to shoot an amazing video for it too. I feel like this is the beginning of our collaborative journey, and I’m so excited to create more.”
Sheeran went on to praise rapper Hanumankind, composer Santhosh Narayanan, and singer Dhee, who feature on Don’t Look Down. “I loooove HMK — I met him at Coachella and was obsessed with his energy and style. Santhosh is one of the greatest film composers and introduced me to Dhee, who has such an incredible voice. I wanted to represent South India on this EP and the beauty of the Tamil language, and they did such an amazing job fusing it all together.”
On Sapphire, his much-anticipated collaboration with Arijit Singh, Sheeran shared a personal note. “Everyone already knows the story to this, but going to Jiaganj with my dad to create this with Arijit is one of my favorite memories in my musical career,” he wrote.
He closed by expressing admiration for singer Jonita Gandhi, with whom he recorded Heaven. “I met Jonita in 2024 when I played my big show in Mumbai and got to perform with her again during my next tour. I’m a fan — I love her voice, the tone, the softness. This was the perfect tune for us to do together, and it’s also the first Hindi song I’ve released. It’s an honor to do it with her — what a talent.”
With Play, Sheeran brings together global sounds and Indian influences, celebrating cross-cultural collaboration while showcasing the diversity of India’s contemporary music scene. (Source: IANS)
