Ed Sheeran weaves Persian music into new song, Azizam

After a pair of low-key, introspective albums, Ed Sheeran has returned to his roots with a shimmering new pop single, Azizam.

The track sees the star incorporate Middle Eastern influences, inspired by producer Illya Salmanzadeh's Persian heritage.

The title means "my dear" or "my darling" in Farsi, and the track incorporates instruments like the ghatam, a clay pot commonly used as percussion in Southern India, and the santur, a hammered dulcimer of Iranian origin.

"Now the song's finished, and it's out, I'm discovering more and more every single day that Persians are really, really proud of their culture, and it's great to celebrate it," Sheeran told BBC Radio 1.

Azizam is released in a crowded week for new music, with comeback songs by Miley Cyrus, Wet Leg and Elton John all vying for streams.

Sheeran's track doesn't stray too far from his usual pop template, but the Persian influences will undoubtedly bolster his figures in the Middle East - the world's fastest-growing music market.

It's a trick the star has pulled before.

A voracious music fan with an instinct for new commercial opportunities, he's collaborated with Afrobeats stars like Burna Boy and Fireboy DML, learned Spanish for a record with Colombian singer J Balvin, tipped his hat to Irish folk music on Galway Girl, and even sang in Punjabi during a recent concert in Mumbai.

Talking about the creation of Azizam, the star said he'd had "a hell of a lot of fun" immersing himself in Persian music.

"I loved how a lot of rhythms, scales, melodies and instruments were different but similar to the Irish trad music I had grown up with."

The inspiration came Salmanzadeh, an Iranian-born Swedish songwriter, who has previously scored major hits with Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

"One day he was just like, 'I would love to make something within the culture that I come from' and that's how it was sparked," Sheeran told Radio 1's Greg James.

"It's [become] the first single of an album that is super playful and celebratory."

Sheeran debuted the song three weeks ago on the streets of New Orleans during a surprise performance in the city's French quarter, accompanied by the Soul Rebels brass band.

The recorded version also includes background vocals from the Citizens of the World Choir, which is made up of refugees.

Early reviews have largely been positive, with a few caveats.

Awarding it three stars, The Guardian said the Persian elements felt incidental to what was an overwhelmingly "Anglo-Saxon" pop song.

"Azizam does its job with the kind of ruthless efficiency you might expect from Sheeran in unabashed pop mode," wrote pop critic Alexis Petridis.

"It has a hook that fully digs into your brain the first time you hear it, and proves impossible to dislodge thereafter.

The song is "banal, featherweight musical Esperanto", added the Telegraph's Neil McCormick.

"Lighter than candy floss and twice as sticky... It will be number one on every Spotify playlist by tomorrow, inescapable all spring and summer, and the next time you ask me, I'll probably declare it a bubblegum classic."

Fans were more sympathetic. On Radio 2, one listener texted Sheeran to offer their praise.

"I'm from an Iranian family, and there are so many Persian music influences in the song, which is amazing to hear," they said.

The song is the first track from Sheeran's eighth studio album, which is due for release later this year.

Speaking on the US chat show The Tonight Show, the 34-year-old confirmed the record would be titled Play, kicking off a new series of records that will be called Pause, Rewind, Fast-Forward and Stop.

He also suggested that he was planning a posthumous release, containing songs written throughout the course of his life. Speaking to host Jimmy Fallon, he joked that album would be called Eject.

His new material comes at a crucial crossroads in his career. One of the biggest-selling acts of the 2010s, the star's last two albums underperformed.

Subtract, released in May 2023, presented a more understated, introspective side to the star's bubbly pop persona - with production from The National's Aaron Dessner.

Although it received some of the best reviews of his career, it was his first album not to go platinum in the UK.

A companion album, Autumn Variations, released later the same year, fared even worse.

Despite debuting at number one, it left the Top 40 after two weeks, and has yet to be certified gold - meaning it has sold fewer than 100,000 copies.

However, the star remains one of the world's most-streamed acts. On Spotify, 12 of his songs have topped 1 billion plays.

The most popular, Shape Of You, is the second-most streamed song of all time, with 4.3 billion streams.