#NEWMUSIC: ED SHEERAN – “SYMMETRY” FT. KARAN AUJLA AND “PLAY” REMIXES EP

Fresh off the success of his ninth UK No. 1 album Play, Ed Sheeran further broadens his sonic horizons with the release of Play – The Remixes EP (listen here). Leading the charge is “Symmetry”, a hypnotic, beat-driven track featuring acclaimed Punjabi artist Karan Aujla. The accompanying official video, directed by Liam Pethick, showcases a high-energy performance by Ed, Karan, and globally renowned dance crew The Quick Style.

Play – The Remixes EP finds Ed Sheeran reimagining four tracks from his original Play album through dynamic collaborations with some of South Asia’s most celebrated talents, including Hanumankind, Dhee, Santhosh Narayanan, Karan Aujla, Jonita, and Arijit Singh. The EP’s vibrant soundscape 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 the spirit of collaboration.

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, so here’s 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.”

“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, 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 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.”

Upon its release, Play stormed to No.1 across the world, topping charts in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Germany, New Zealand, Poland, Switzerland, and the UK.

Tracklist:

1. Symmetry (feat. Karan Aujla)

Written by: Ed Sheeran, Johnny McDaid, Savan Kotecha, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Ikwinder Sahota and Jaskaran Singh Aujla

2. Don’t Look Down (feat. Hanumankind, Dhee & Santhosh Narayanan) 

Written by; Ed Sheeran, Fred Gibson, Elvira Anderfjärd, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Sooraj Cherukat, Dheekshitha Venkadeshan, Santhosh Narayanan and Adiya Ravindra.

3. Sapphire (feat. Arijit Singh)

Written by: Ed Sheeran, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Johnny McDaid, Savan Kotecha, Mayur Puri, Arijit Singh and Avinash Chouhan

4. Heaven (feat. Jonita)

Written by: Ed Sheeran, Johnny McDaid, Savan Kotecha, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Harjot Kaur, Shayra Apoorva, Rutvik Talashilkar and Jonita Gandhi