Ed Sheeran has revealed his wife Cherry Seaborn was diagnosed with a tumour last year while pregnant with their second child.
On Wednesday morning, the chart-topping singer announced his upcoming album Subtract, which was inspired by a series of events that he says “changed my life, my mental health, and ultimately the way I viewed music and art” last year.
This included Cherry’s health issues and the death of Jamal Edwards, who died suddenly just over a year ago at the age of 31.
Ed explained: “I had been working on Subtract for a decade, trying to sculpt the perfect acoustic album, writing and recording hundreds of songs with a clear vision of what I thought it should be.
“Then at the start of 2022, a series of events changed my life, my mental health, and ultimately the way I viewed music and art.
“Writing songs is my therapy. It helps me make sense of my feelings. I wrote without thought of what the songs would be, I just wrote whatever tumbled out. And in just over a week, I replaced a decade’s worth of work with my deepest darkest thoughts.”
He continued: “Within the space of a month, my pregnant wife got told she had a tumour, with no route to treatment until after the birth. My best friend Jamal, a brother to me, died suddenly and I found myself standing in court defending my integrity and career as a songwriter.
“I was spiralling through fear, depression and anxiety. I felt like I was drowning, head below the surface, looking up but not being able to break through for air.
“As an artist I didn’t feel like I could credibly put a body of work into the world that didn’t accurately represent where I am and how I need to express myself at this point in my life. This album is purely that. It’s opening the trapdoor into my soul.
“For the first time I’m not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life.”
The Grammy winner married his wife Cherry, who he met when they attended school together, in 2019.
In the years since, the pair have since welcomed two daughters, the youngest of whom was born in May 2022.
Ed will release Subtract on 5 May 2023.