Ed Sheeran honours ‘Azizam’ amid cultural exploration

Ed Sheeran dropped his latest single, “Azizam” paying a tribute to his wife, Cherry Seaborn, along with his Iranian heritage.

The song, released on April 4, is rich with Persian instruments such as the santur, hammered dulcimer, ghatam, daf, and lute blending with Sheeran’s dancey pop lyrics.

"Azizam / Meet me on the floor tonight / Show me how to move like the water / In between the dancin’ lights / Be mine, be mine, azizam,” Sheeran sings for the chorus of Azizam, which literally translates to “my dear” in Farsi.

The Perfect singer has been known to indulge in various cultures and incorporate them into his discography. He learned Spanish for a record with Colombian singer J Balvin, sang in Punjabi for a concert with Diljit Dosanjh in India and collaborated with afrobeat stars like Fireboy DML.

Sheeran’s branching out into different cultures is not only enjoyable for him, but for his listeners as well, as the 34-year-old revealed to Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show.

“I feel like the Persian community has really embraced the song and what we’ve been doing with it, and I feel very honored to be kind of taken by the hand and shown different things," he said.

The song will be featured on Sheeran’s eighth studio album, Play, the first of his new series Play, Pause, Rewind, Fast-Forward and Stop, after his mathematical chapter. 

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