In February 2022, Sheeran’s close friend Jamal Edwards died at 31; he was a YouTube tastemaker, producer, entrepreneur and D.J.
Over the last decade, he has proved himself to be a consummate, driven 21st-century musician: gifted, career-minded and supremely adaptable yet easily recognizable, writing songs that revel in direct language and big feelings.
Sheeran has made himself the USB port of pop songwriting, connecting with virtually everything.
His new album completes a five-album arc of arithmetic symbols, with “-” following “+” (2011), “x” (2014), “÷” (2017) and “=” (2021).
Per its title, “-” was intended to be a stripped-down singer-songwriter album, though Sheeran has by no means renounced big pop choruses.