The heartfelt clip is available now
Global superstar Ed Sheeran has unveiled the official music video for his recently released single “Old Phone.” The track is the second song – following lead single “Azizam” – that Sheeran has shared from his forthcoming album Play, arriving everywhere via Gingerbread Man Records/Atlantic Records on September 12th.
Directed by Emil Nava and produced by Ammolite Machine, the “Old Phone” music video is a touching tribute to the beauty of connection and memory. In a heartfelt introduction, Ed talks about the background to the song, delving into the bittersweet memories evoked by rediscovering an old phone, unearthing text messages and photos from cherished moments with people who are no longer here.
To bring the song to life, Ed conceived the idea of building the Old Phone Pub in Ipswich, Massachusetts, creating a space to connect with his fans and their stories. As Ed puts it, “ I thought I’d build a pub somewhere, and do a gig, and I put it out there to my fans, and said do you want to come to this gig, go on your old phone and find a message that means a lot to you or a video that means a lot to you”
The video artfully weaves together moments of Ed reflecting on his own memories—with scenes of the Old Phone pub’s construction. Fans are introduced to the heartfelt community spirit as Ed interacts with locals, practices for the gig, and hears personal stories from attendees…from a fan’s video of her two young daughters playing, to a clip of friends enjoying the snow after a breakup, or a poignant memory of dancing with a grandmother who has since passed, each story shared by fans becomes a testament to the emotional power of memory and music. The climax of the video showcases an intimate live performance at the Old Phone Pub.
Ahead of the song’s release last week, Sheeran announced the arrival of “Old Phone” by launching @teddysoldphone, an Instagram account featuring never-before-seen photos from Ed’s actual old phone, which he stopped using in 2015, before moving solely to email. Ed has been teasing the track over the past few weeks, including an impromptu performance of the song on The Tonight Show couch while chatting with Jimmy Fallon, as part of his set at his pop up pub during Coachella, and most recently playing it as a duet with Noah Kahan at Santa’s Pub in Nashville. Ed was recently featured on the cover of this year’s TIME100 as one of the world’s most influential people.
