Ed Sheeran has released his latest single, Azizam, a vibrant and danceable track influenced by Persian music, marking the first release from his forthcoming eighth studio album, Play.

Dropped on Thursday, the song was produced by Ilyah Salmanzadeh, known for his work with artists like Ariana Grande, Charli XCX and Tate McRae. Sheeran shared on Instagram that the idea for the song stemmed from Salmanzadeh’s suggestion to draw inspiration from his Persian heritage. The title, Azizam, translates to “my dear” in Persian.

Alongside the single, Sheeran released a “Pink Heart” video, featuring footage shot across the United States during recent promotional events. He hinted at an upcoming “official” music video but has yet to reveal its release date, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in March, the four-time Grammy winner revealed the title of his upcoming album, Play, and shared that it forms part of a 10-album concept he envisioned at the age of 18.

Tom Cruise opens CinemaCon speech with moment of silence for Val Kilmer

This series includes Plus, Multiply, Divide, Subtract, Equals, followed by Play, Pause, Rewind, Fast Forward and Stop, inspired by Quentin Tarantino’s plan to create 10 films before retiring.

While an official release date for Play is still under wraps, Sheeran’s last album, Autumn Variations, was released in 2023 and reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart.

In the meantime, Sheeran has remained active on his global Mathematics Tour, which began in Dublin in April 2022 and is scheduled to wrap up in Düsseldorf this September.