In 2016, fans of music had one question: where is Ed Sheeran? Although his 2016 whereabouts may still be left unanswered, he’s back and better than ever now that 2017 has started.

    Sheeran kicked off the new year on Jan. 6 by releasing the first two songs from his newest album, Divide. Fans blew up social media with excitement as they waited for the rest of the 16 track album to be released on March 3. Following his past albums Plus and Multiply, Divide has everyone wondering how long he’ll make us wait for the next album and if he’ll name it Subtract or Equals.

    The most popular song on the album is “Shape of You.” With the song’s upbeat feel it has earned the number one spot on the Billboard’s “The Hot 100” for over a month. It’s exactly what you would expect to hear from any other artist, but it has people listening. Although Sheeran has admitted that “Shape of You” is not his favorite song on the album, everyone else seems to love it.

    The song “How Would You Feel” has been Sheeran’s girlfriend, Cherry Seaborn’s favorite song for two years, before it was even released. In fact he recorded it because she was so fond of it, which is probably why the song sounds so meaningful. He dropped the song before the original release date in celebration of his birthday on February 17. It’s the slow, romantic song that everyone wishes were about them. Who doesn’t want to be loved as much as Sheeran loves this girl?

    “Shape of You” and “How Would You Feel” are both songs that would be expected from any musician heard on the radio, but as the album continues Sheeran’s songs get more unique.

    My personal favorite on the album is “Galway Girl”, which sounds the same as the rest of the album at first, but later the song surprises the audience with an Irish fiddle playing in the background and even Sheeran’s version of rapping. As said in past albums he’s “not a rapper; [he’s] a singer with the flow.”

    Divide is overall a very diverse album filled with songs that anyone can enjoy. Some may say all Sheeran’s songs sound mass produced, but in this album he truly shows how diverse his music can be.