A new Ed Sheeran album? That calls for a drink.
At least, that’s what Sheeran, 32, thought when he released the new album Autumn Variations. In a video Sheeran posted on Friday, September 29, the “Eyes Closed” singer revealed that he treated some lucky New Yorkers a free round. “Right, to celebrate my album release, I’m gonna pub crawl,” Sheeran told the camera after a scene showed him pouring an unthinkable amount of vodka shots.
Sheeran said his plan for the night was to go to random bars and “drinks are on me for the next six hours.” From there, Sheeran and his crew hit up a local watering hole. “We’re in the first bar. I’m on the first drink,” he said. “I have got everyone a drink in the bar … but we’re not there yet.”
Whereas you think Sheeran couldn’t get a pint without being swarmed with fans, he seemed relatively unbothered and alone in that first pub. However, Sheeran confessed that they decided to do this crawl when people were “finishing work” and might not be in the mood to drink alongside the pop superstar. Instead, he vowed to take the party elsewhere. “We are going to the f–king place where people want to go for it!”
Autumn Variations out now! 🍻🍻#AutumnVariations #AutumnIsComing
👉 https://t.co/CITysnkfX1 pic.twitter.com/WGDk6EFLIp— Ed Sheeran HQ (@edsheeran) September 29, 2023
After jumping on a subway and shaking hands with a fan who recognized him, Sheeran found a bar with a better party vibe. Beer pong and shots were enjoyed before Sheeran made his way to Off The Wagon in the East Village and more shots were lined up and thrown down. The crowd even started to chant “Ed! Ed! Ed!” at the end.
“We’re done for the night,” said Sheeran at the end of the video. “We started out, the place. They weren’t feeling it. The next place? Weren’t feeling it either. We got on the subway, and then? Here we are. I’m very drunk right now. Very drunk. Anyway, Autumn Variations out right now.”
Sheeran announced Autumn Variations in August. It’s his second album of 2023, having already released – (Subtract) in May. Aaron Dressner of The National produced the album, a connection likely made by Sheeran’s best friend Taylor Swift as Dressner, 47, produced Swift’s Folklore and Evermore, as well as songs on Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version) and Midnights (3 am Edition). Dessner also worked on Sheeran’s Subtract.
“When I recorded Subtract with Aaron Dessner, we clicked immediately,” Sheeran said when announcing Autumn Variations. “We wrote and recorded non-stop and this album was born out of that partnership. I feel he has captured the feeling of autumn so wonderfully in his sonics and I hope everyone loves it as much as I do.”
“When I went through a difficult time at the start of last year,” added Sheeran, “writing songs helped me understand my feelings and come to terms with what was going on, and when I learned about my friend’s different situations, I wrote songs, some from their perspectives, some from mine, to capture how they and I viewed the world at that time.”
