Ed Sheeran made his return to the Tiny Desk concert series last week, performing songs from his newly released eighth studio album, Play. Sheeran sang four songs off the LP, including “Sapphire,” “A Little More,” “Camera,” and “Azizam,” in addition to his 2015 hit, “Photograph,” off his album, x.
The British singer-songwriter is no stranger to NPR’s live concerts, although this marked his first time singing behind the iconic Tiny Desk. He last performed with a band at a house in upstate New York back in 2021 due to COVID restrictions. This time, he did it all by himself, using a looping station to layer recordings of instruments like the keys and percussion, as well as backing vocals.
Before closing the set with “Azizam,” Sheeran took the opportunity to thank Tiny Desk for allowing him to perform with his looping station:
“I want to say, actually, how grateful I am to NPR for letting me use the loop pedal. I could count on one hand the amount of times American media has let me bring this in somewhere. It’s always like ‘No, you’re using a band.’ So I really appreciate you letting me play live.”
Watch Ed Sheeran’s Tiny Desk performance here:
Stream Ed Sheeran’s new album, Play, here:
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