Ed Sheeran Celebrates ‘Play’ With Live Tiny Desk Concert

To celebrate the release of his album Play, Ed Sheeran stopped by NPR on Friday afternoon for a live-broadcast edition of their Tiny Desk series, which also served as a fundraiser for the public broadcasting company.

Before starting his set, Sheeran — dressed simply in a pink T-shirt promoting his album — explained that he’d be using a loop pedal to perform everything live on his own. He opened with “Sapphire,” strumming his guitar and closing his eyes as he sang the love song, even delivering the Punjabi lines in the chorus.

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“I had the honor of doing this, but I did it in Covid, so I filmed it in Jersey, so it’s kinda mad to see the actual desk itself,” Sheeran said before moving into “A Little More,” slipping in a rap verse before returning to his singing voice. Throughout the performance, the camera alternated between close-ups of Sheeran and shots of his feet working the loop pedal.

“I feel really nervous, I usually don’t get nervous, but this is really fun,” Sheeran admitted as he introduced “Camera,” choosing a loop-free acoustic version of the tender track. From there, he seamlessly transitioned into his 2014 hit, “Photograph.”

“I want to say how grateful I am to NPR for letting me use the loop pedal. I can count on one hand the amount of times American media has let me bring this in somewhere,” Sheeran said. “It’s always, ‘No you’re using a band. No, you’re using a band.’ I really appreciate you letting me play live.”

Sheeran closed his performance with Play‘s lead single “Azizam,” using the loop pedal to harmonize with himself.

Sheeran dropped his album Play Friday, featuring new songs such as “Symmetry,” “In Other Words,” “Don’t Look Down,” and “For Always.” “Despite some of its nods to a more global sound, Play is a lot more of the same radio-tailored singer-songwriter music that has become Sheeran’s signature in his 15-year career,” read a Rolling Stone review of the record.

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