Photo Credit: Petros Studio
Play – The Remixes EP finds Ed Sheeran reimagined, with four tracks from his original Play album featuring dynamic collaborations with some of South Asia’s most celebrated and accomplished artists, including Hanumankind, Dhee, Santhosh Narayanan, Karan Aujla, Jonita, and Arijit Singh. The EP’s vibrant sound is further shaped by producers ILYA, Johnny McDaid, Savan Kotecha, FRED, and Elvira Anderfjärd.
The project was born out of Sheeran’s transformative, month-long stay in India, where he immersed himself in the country’s rich musical landscape while recording Play. During this time, he discovered and connected with many of the EP’s collaborators through the artists he was working with – among them Arijit Singh, with whom Sheeran teamed up with on the half-a-billion-streaming global hit ‘Sapphire’.
Sheeran previously hinted at the EP during an interview with Nikita Kanda on BBC Asian Network. The resulting release is a vibrant fusion of global sounds and artistic exchange; a borderless celebration of global creativity that sees Ed Sheeran sharing spaces and voices in collaboration.
Photo Credit: Mark Surridge
Ed Sheeran says – “Making and finishing Play in India was such a fun experience. Being there over the last decade through touring, I’ve met lots of local artists along the way, and I’ve been introduced to all types of music and cultures. I’ve loved this collaboration process so much, and I wanted to represent as much as I could on this EP.”
Sheeran gives us a little track-by-track rundown:
‘Symmetry’ featuring Karan Aujla
“Karan is culture, and I love the movement he’s making with Ikky at the moment. It’s been so cool watching the thing he’s built and becoming a part of that world and journey. He taught me the Punjabi parts on this song in the studio, and we got to shoot an amazing video for it. I feel like this is the beginning of our collaborative journey, and I’m so excited to create more.”
‘Symmetry’, is hypnotic, beat-driven track and the accompanying official video, directed by Liam Pethick, showcases a high-energy performance by Ed, Karan, and globally renowned dance crew The Quick Style.
Check it out
‘Dont Look Down’ featuring Hanumankind, Dhee & Santhosh Narayanan
“I loooove Hanumankind and got the opportunity to meet him at Coachella and catch his show. I was obsessed with the energy and feel of it all. We connected then, and we have since been speaking about working together, and then this idea came up. Santhosh is one of the greatest film composers and introduced me to Dhee, who is such an amazing talent and voice. I wanted to represent South India on this EP and the beautiful Tamil language, and they have done such an amazing job in fusing it together.”
‘Sapphire’ featuring Arijit Singh
“Everyone already knows the story to this but going to Jiaganj Azimganj with my dad to create this with Arijit is one of my favourite memories in my musical career.”
‘Heaven’ featuring Jonita
“I met Jonita in 2024 when I played in Mumbai and then got to do some shows with her the following year when I came back for tour. In short, I’m a fan. I love her voice, the tone, the softness. This was the perfect tune for us to do together, and it’s also the first Hindi song I have released. It’s an honour to do it with her – what a talent.”
Check out the full incredible EP here!
