Ed Sheeran came back with a hit as he ended his more than year long hiatus by dropping his two hit singles, “Castle on the Hill” and “Shape of You” on January 6th of this year. Releasing his album “÷” (Divide) on Friday, March 3rd, it seems as though Sheeran is on the rise again, with his album topping the charts at number one and “Shape of You” remaining in the top 100, where it has been since the week of its release.

With this new album, Ed shows off more of the versatility he has become extremely well known for in the industry. Known for previously being able to belt out a lyric and move quickly into rapping in the same song, he has turned a new leaf when it comes to this album.

Speaking on his past music, junior Gaby Thur de Koos said, “I love his music but it all feels like the same song,”. With new clear influences from a wide variety of cultures, this album is sure to present a song for everyone, and surprise listening audiences with Sheeran’s ability take on unexplored music moving forward.

Beginning with “Eraser”, Sheeran starts the album with a song sure to reach the fans who have been with him from the very beginning, as it contains a similar level of sassiness towards the music industry, as seen in his earlier works. In his very traditional fashion, he calls out the cons fame in this song.

Capturing a similar tune to his hit “Thinking Out Loud” from his album “x” (Multiply), Sheeran captures a happy tune with “Dive”. He shows his continued ability to use his voice to his advantage when singing calmer romance songs. Sheeran’s continued skill in songs like these truly showcases his talents as a musician, and his ability to capture an effortless sense of cool in his songs.

Exploring a more Caribbean style of music, Ed Sheeran has really hit it off with audiences after releasing “Shape of You”, a song unlike his traditional music. While Ed Sheeran is typically known for his acoustic songs, this upbeat tune was different than his usual works; however, it paid off. At an event with Spotify in which he was promoting his new album, Sheeran even admitted his reluctance in releasing the song.

When asked at the event, Sheeran said, “It took Johnny and Steve, the guys I wrote it with, probably about a month or two to convince me that should even be on the album, and probably took them another month to convince me that it should be a single,”.

In songs such as “Nancy Mulligan” and “Galway Girl”, Sheeran is able to capture a much more Celtic tone, keeping a very strong Irish style present in his album. As student Zoe Bender said, “I love Galway Girl. It just always puts me in a good mood.” These songs both show the strong influence of his childhood and Irish background in his work.

Fittingly, “Barcelona” follows a very strong Spanish style, displaying the fitting ways in which Ed Sheeran has been able to encapsulate different cultures in his album. By following a more upbeat tune, Sheeran is able to create a diverse range of songs in “÷” unseen in his previous work.

This album is a surefire hit for any listener, and demonstrates Sheeran’s expanding grasp on multiple genres in the music industry.