Ed Sheeran

When I saw that Ed Sheeran had released a single with Justin Beiber, my interest was clearly piqued. That was a collaboration, that in my opinion, had the power to do big things. However, in my excitement, I had clearly forgotten one crucial piece of information: they both are low key boring. And that is exactly the word I would use to describe the song they released, “I Don’t Care.” The songs lyrics tell the story of a party, but the song is anything but a party song. It drags in a way that makes you want to get up and leave any room that is playing it and the vocals don’t exactly entice you to stay either. Overall, I was extremely underwhelmed by this song. As a result, when news broke of Ed Sheeran’s new collaborative project, my hopes were not high.

There is a lot of potential in a whole album of collaborations, especially when Ed Sheeran is the one holding the project in his hands. After all the success he has had, it is no doubt that absolutely anyone in the music industry would be thrilled to be featured with him. I still believe that this album is bound to have some surprises and excitement that no one could have guessed. Unfortunately, the worry that it will be all to “Ed” still lies in my mind. Here is a good example of what I mean:

With “I Don’t Care” already out, Ed Sheeran released one more song before the album drops completely on July 12th. In collaboration with Chance the Rapper and PnB Rock, the song “Cross Me” was a huge surprise to me when I first listened. I remember distinctly listening for the first time in the car and turning it up to max volume once the song hit, impressed at the unique beat and great incorporation of rap. I loved this direction that Ed Sheeran took, definitely different than his previous work, but a welcomed change. In short, it was not too typical of him, it was not too “Ed.”

That is until I heard it again. It wasn’t the second time, but maybe around the sixth listen, when I realize Ed Sheeran had pulled an Ed Sheeran. I could get over the lackluster vocals, but I could not get past the very obvious use of a similar backbeat that mirrors Kendrick Lamar’s song “Pray for Me” from the Black Panther soundtrack. Hearing the recycling of this beat was not necessarily upsetting to me, but just slightly uncomfortable. I believe that Ed Sheeran has the ability to create really exciting, innovative music, but it seems that time and time again he chooses not to.

I’m hoping for the best from this new album. (I may even be hopeful that a certain K-pop supergroup snags one of those elusive spots.) Collabs are some of my favorite type of entertainment and I fully embrace any collaboration with Ed Sheeran. I am hoping, however, that he takes this opportunity as a challenge rather than a way to chase clout.