Ed Sheeran Livestreams Historic NPR Tiny Desk Concert for Play Album Release

Ed Sheeran celebrated the release of his eighth album, Play, with a historic live-streamed NPR Tiny Desk concert, marking the first Tiny Desk livestream of this scale. Using his loop pedal setup, keyboard, and acoustic guitar, Sheeran performed a selection of new songs from Play, blending global influences with his signature Irish folk roots. The intimate concert showcased Sheeran's live looping skills and featured tracks like "Sapphire," "A Little More," and "Camera," the latter accompanied by a new video starring Phoebe Dynevor. This performance followed his previous Tiny Desk Home concert during the pandemic, but this time took place at NPR's headquarters with a live audience and was broadcast worldwide, reaching over 60 million subscribers. NPR highlighted the concert as a breakthrough in bringing the series' trademark intimacy to a global audience in real-time, emphasizing the raw and authentic nature of the live show. The album Play itself reflects Sheeran’s evolution as an artist, balancing innovation with familiarity through its borderless sounds and heartfelt lyrics.