Ed Sheeran has sadness on his mind on new single ‘Eyes Closed’.
Released today, the emotional pop track is “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,” according to Sheeran.
“You sorta have to take yourself out of reality sometimes to numb the pain of loss, but certain things just bring you right back into it,” he added in a statement.
‘Eyes Closed’ is accompanied by a cinematic music video that was inspired by the story of Harvey, which follows a main character with an imaginary giant rabbit friend.
“There’s also a book I read my daughters where sadness is encapsulated by an imaginary creature. Often sadness is something that follows you around, engulfing the rooms you’re in, and you can feel and see it, but no one else around you can,” Sheeran explained. “So I decided to create my own big blue monster for the video. He gets bigger and bigger as the video goes on, til he takes up whole rooms, and is all I can see, just like sadness.”
You can watch the music video below. ‘Eyes Closed’ will feature on Sheeran’s new album, Subtract (or –), which is set for release in early May.
The track’s release comes a few days after Sheeran’s cover story with Rolling Stone was unveiled, which featured the pop superstar discussing the shame he felt while struggling with his mental health last year.
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After the unexpected deaths of two close friends, Australian cricket great Shane Warne and, in particular, English music entrepreneur Jamal Edwards, said that he struggled with really bad depression.
“I felt like I didn’t want to live anymore,” he told the publication. “And I have had that throughout my life.… You’re under the waves drowning. You’re just sort of in this thing. And you can’t get out of it.”
Soon enough, Sheeran felt added shame about his declining mental health as they seemed “selfish.” “Especially as a father. I feel really embarrassed about it,” he added.
It was the singer-songwriter’s wife, Cherry Seaborn, who eventually convinced him to seek help. “I’ve always had real lows in my life. But it wasn’t really till last year that I actually addressed it,” he said.
You can read the full Rolling Stone cover story here.
