''='' ("Equals") is the fifth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by English singer-songwriter

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

. Released on 29 October 2021 by

Asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea ...

and

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

, the album was supported by the singles " Bad Habits", " Shivers", " Overpass Graffiti", "

The Joker and the Queen "The Joker and the Queen" is a song by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, taken from his fifth studio album, '' ='', that was released on 29 October 2021 by Asylum and Atlantic Records. Sheeran wrote and produced the song with Johnny McDaid, ...

", " 2step" and a promotional single, " Visiting Hours". Upon release, ''='' received generally mixed reviews from music critics, who appreciated Sheeran's emerging sonic experimentation while criticising its production. The album reached number one in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Christmas edition of the album was released on 3 December 2021, although it was removed later on. It contains a sole guest appearance from fellow English singer-songwriter

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

on the song " Merry Christmas", while the standard edition does not have any guest appearances. The tour edition of the album was released on 27 May 2022. It contains his two songs from the 2019 film '' Yesterday'', "One Life" and "Penguins", and two new songs, "I Will Remember You" and "Welcome to the World". The reissue also contains the 2020 single "

Afterglow An afterglow in meteorology consists of several atmospheric optical phenomena, with a general definition as a broad arch of whitish or pinkish sunlight in the twilight sky, consisting of the bright segment and the purple light. Purple light mainl ...

", the single version of "

" featuring American singer-songwriter

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...

, the single version of " 2step" featuring American rapper

Lil Baby Dominique Armani Jones (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to mainstream fame in 2017 following the release of his mixtape ''Perfect Timing''. *Alt URL* * His deb ...

, a remix of " Bad Habits" featuring British rock band

Bring Me the Horizon Bring Me the Horizon (often abbreviated as BMTH) are a British rock band formed in Sheffield in 2004. The group consists of lead vocalist Oliver Sykes, guitarist Lee Malia, bassist Matt Kean, drummer Matt Nicholls and keyboardist Jordan Fis ...

, and his collaboration with Nigerian singer

Fireboy DML Adedamola Adefolahan (born 5 February 1996), known professionally as Fireboy DML, is a Nigerian singer. He is signed to YBNL Nation, a record label founded by Nigerian rapper Olamide. His debut studio album ''Laughter, Tears and Goosebumps'' was ...

, "

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

". A second remix of "2step" is also included in the reissue in several countries. A French version of the album was released on 4 November 2022. This version contains "Peru", a remix of "2step" featuring

Leto In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Leto (; grc-gre, Λητώ , ''Lētṓ'', or , ''Lātṓ'' in Ancient Greek dialects#Provenance, Doric Greek) is a goddess and the mother of Apollo, the god of music, and Artemis ...

, " Bam Bam" by

Camila Cabello Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao (; ; born March 3, 1997) is a Cuban-born American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, which became one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. While in ...

featuring Sheeran, and a new single "Call on Me" by Vianney featuring Sheeran. A limited edition includes a DVD of the FNAC Live 2021 concert.

Background

On 18 August 2021, Sheeran said there would be a "big announcement" the following day. On 19 August, he announced the album and its release date of 29 October on his social media accounts. He described the album as his "

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...

" record. To him, the album was a "really personal record and one that means a lot to me", citing changes in his life, including marriage, the birth of his daughter and experienced losses. The promotional single " Visiting Hours" was released alongside the announcement. In an interview with Capital FM on 27 June 2021, Sheeran also stated that he would like to see the songs he made for the film '' Yesterday'' appear on a repackaged version of the album before he goes on tour for the record.

Singles

" Bad Habits" was released on 25 June 2021 as the album's

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

. "Bad Habits" reached number 1 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, and number 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. " Shivers" was released on 10 September 2021 as the album's second single. "Shivers" reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart, and number 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. " Overpass Graffiti" was released alongside the album on 29 October 2021 as the third single. "Overpass Graffiti" reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart, and number 41 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Sheeran performed the song for

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

Tiny Desk Concert Tiny Desk Concerts is a video series of live concerts hosted by NPR Music at the desk of ''All Songs Considered'' host Bob Boilen in Washington, D.C. The first Tiny Desk Concert came about in 2008 after Boilen and NPR Music editor Stephen Thomp ...

series on 26 October. A remix of "

" featuring

was released as the album's fourth single on 11 February 2022. "The Joker and the Queen" reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart, and number 21 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. A remix of " 2step" featuring

was released as the album's fifth single on 22 April 2022. "2step" reached number 9 on the UK Singles Chart, and number 48 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Promotional singles

" Visiting Hours" was released on 19 August 2021 as the sole promotional single. It reached number 5 on the UK Singles Chart and number 75 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Critical reception

''='' received mixed reviews from critics. On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, the album has a

weighted average The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...

score of 59 out of 100 based on 12 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' listed it among their three worst albums of 2021, calling it the "cringiest pop album" of the year.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

wrote that "Sheeran's melodies are soft yet insistent, and the production glistens with fair borrowed from younger, hipper artists who mine a similar blend of

retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...

new wave and modern R&B, but he knows how to turn this stylish sound into something cozy and reassuring, which therefore "is the surest sign that Ed Sheeran has indeed grown up: he's not chasing trends, he's making music for people who have aged out of the clubs but have yet to wallow in nostalgia". Writing for '' Clash'', Robin Murray rated the album 6 out of 10, explaining that the album "follows his mathematically minded opening trilogy, and it puts you in mind of completion, resolution, and conclusion. The album itself, however, offers little in the way of those things, thriving instead on a series of dichotomies – between the everyman and the star, the guitarist and the producer, between the humble pop savant and the brash stadium-filling star". David Smyth from ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' wrote that "although there are a few quiet songs among the 14 here, and more than a few lyrics about the humble joy of staying home with his wife Cherry and their one-year-old daughter Lyra, this is no

-style slice of

lockdown A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison ...

restraint".

Commercial performance

''='' debuted at number one in the United Kingdom, selling 139,000 units in its first week, outperforming the rest of the week’s Top 30 combined. It achieved the 3rd biggest opening week for an album of 2021 in the UK and the 2nd fastest selling album of 2021, behind

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a reco ...

's '' 30''. It later became the second best-selling album of 2021 in the UK with 432,000 sales. The album debuted atop the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, becoming Sheeran’s fourth chart-topping album in the United States. It opened with 118,000

album-equivalent unit The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, is a measurement unit in music industry to define the consumption of music that equals the purchase of one album copy. This consumption includes streaming and song downloads in addition to traditi ...

s, of which 68,000 were pure sales.

Track listing

Note * indicates an additional producer. * The Potter Payper remix of "2step" is only featured on the UK version of the reissue. International versions of the reissue have a different artist featured instead, depending on the country. In some countries, a second remix of "2step" is not present on the reissue, leaving "Peru" as the last track.

Personnel

Musicians *

– vocals (all tracks), backing vocals (1, 4–6, 8, 10, 11, 14), bass (1, 10, 11),

boy soprano A boy soprano (British and especially North American English) or boy treble (only British English) is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range, a range that is often still called the treble voice range (in North America ...

, drums (1); guitar (1, 2, 9),

pizzicato Pizzicato (, ; translated as "pinched", and sometimes roughly as "plucked") is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of instrument : * On bowed ...

violin (2), acoustic guitar (4, 5, 11, 12), percussion (4, 11), keyboards (10), ukulele (13) *

Foy Vance Foy Vance (born 1974) is a musician and singer-songwriter from Northern Ireland signed to Ed Sheeran's Gingerbread Man label. Vance has toured as a support act to British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran and his music has been featured on numerous ...

– piano (1, 10), backing vocals, guitar (1) * Joe Rubel – drum programming, guitar (1, 10); programming (1, 10, 11); bass, piano (1); additional programming (2), strings programming (3, 6), keyboards (10, 11), acoustic guitar, percussion (11) *

Johnny McDaid John McDaid (born 24 July 1976) is a singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer from Northern Ireland. He is a member of the band Snow Patrol and has written songs with other artists including Ed Sheeran, P!nk, and Robbie Williams. Early ...

– piano (1, 11–13), guitar (2), acoustic guitar (4, 11, 14), backing vocals (5, 8, 11, 12, 14), bass (5, 8, 12), electric guitar (5, 8, 12, 14), keyboards (5, 8, 11–13), programming (5, 11–13), percussion (8), drums (11),

glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( or , : bells and : set) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the vibraphone. The glo ...

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...

(13) * Matt Glasbey – programming (1, 10) *

Fred Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Ro ...

– bass (2–8, 10, 14), drums (2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 14), guitar (2, 4), keyboards (2, 4–8, 10, 14), programming (2, 4, 5, 14), piano (3, 4, 7, 11), backing vocals (4, 5, 8, 10, 11), acoustic guitar (5), string arrangement (6) * Chris Laws – drums, programming (2) * Steve Mac – keyboards (2) * Parisi – additional strings (3) * Ashok Klouda – cello (3, 6) * Tim Lowe – cello (3, 6) * Victoria Harrild – cello (3, 6) * Leon Bosch –

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

(3, 6) * Matthew Sheeran – string arrangement (3, 6), programming (6) * Eoin Schmidt-Martin – viola (3) *

Laurie Anderson Laurel Philips Anderson (born June 5, 1947), known as Laurie Anderson, is an American avant-garde artist, composer, musician, and film director whose work spans performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and ...

– viola (3) * Rebecca Lowe – viola (3) * Gary Pomeroy – viola (3) * Meghan Cassidy – viola (3) * Ann Bielby – viola (3) * Kirsty Mangan – violin (3) * Kathy Gowers – violin (3) * Thomas Gould – violin (3) * Michael Jones – violin (3) * Marije Johnston – violin (3) * Jan Regulski – violin (3) * Anna Blackmur – violin (3) * Antonia Kesel – violin (3) * Beatrix Lovejoy – violin (3) * Warren Zielinksi – violin (3) * Samantha Wickramasinghe – violin (3) * Ciaran McCabe – violin (3) * Matthew Denton – violin (3) * Martyn Jackson – violin (3) *

Iain Archer Iain Archer is a writer, producer and solo artist from Bangor, Northern Ireland. He is a two-time Ivor Novello Award winner, winning the 2004 Album Award – ''Final Straw'' by Snow Patrol and Most Performed Work in 2016 for Grammy nominated ...

–

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...

(4) * Hal Ritson – additional vocals, additional programming, bass, keyboards (5); programming (8) * Richard Adlam – additional programming, percussion (8) * Louise Clare Marshall – additional vocals (5) *

Sam Roman Samuel Roman (born 1975) is a Puerto Rican-American former professional wrestler. He is best known for his stint in World Championship Wrestling in 2001 under the ring name Kid Romeo, where he was one half of the first ever Cruiserweight Tag Te ...

– guitar, piano (6) * Elvira Anderfjärd – backing vocals, bass, drums, keyboards, programming (7) * Graham Archer – backing vocals (8) * Will Reynolds – backing vocals (8), keyboards (8, 11, 12) acoustic guitar (11), programming (11, 12), electric guitar (12) * Benjy – drums (8) *

Louis Bell Louis Russell Bell (born May 27, 1982) is an American record producer, vocal producer, songwriter, and mixing engineer. Bell's work includes production for Post Malone, Camila Cabello, Halsey, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, 5 Seconds of Summer, T ...

– drums, keyboards, programming (9) * Andrew Watt – guitar, keyboards, programming (9) * Giampaolo Parisi – drums (11), programming (11, 14), sound effects (14) * Marco Parisi – keyboards, piano (11, 12); horn (12), strings (14) * Aine McDaid – backing vocals (12),

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

(13) *

Jimmy Barnes James Dixon "Jimmy" Barnes (née Swan; born 28 April 1956) is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer. His career, both as a solo performer and as the lead vocalist with the rock band Cold Chisel, has made him one of the most popular and best-s ...

– backing vocals (12) *

Jimmy Carr James Anthony Patrick Carr (born 15 September 1972) is a British-Irish comedian, presenter, writer, and actor. He is known for his deadpan delivery of controversial one-liners and distinctive laugh, for which he has been both praised and criti ...

– backing vocals (12) * Josh McDaid – backing vocals (12) *

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

– backing vocals (12) * Maev McDaid – backing vocals (12), harp (13) * Pauline McDaid – backing vocals (12) * Jack Parisi – programming (12) *

Michael Peter Olsen Michael Peter Olsen (born June 28, 1974) is a Grammy nominated Canadian multi-instrumentalist, producer, engineer, composer and arranger currently based in Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontari ...

– cello (13) *

Owen Pallett Michael James Owen Pallett (born September 7, 1979) is a Canadian composer, violinist, keyboardist, and vocalist. Under their erstwhile moniker of Final Fantasy, Pallett won the 2006 Polaris Music Prize for the album ''He Poos Clouds''. Pallet ...

– string arrangement, viola, violin (13) Technical * Ed Sheeran – executive production * Johnny McDaid – executive production,

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

(2, 4–6, 8, 11–14) * Fred – executive production, engineering (4–8, 11, 14) * Stuart Hawkes – mastering *

Mark "Spike" Stent Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed She ...

– mixing * Joe Rubel – engineering (1, 2, 10, 11), recording (2), string engineering (3, 6) * Matt Glasbey – engineering (1, 3, 6, 10, 11) * Robert Sellens – engineering (1, 10, 11) * Chris Laws – engineering, recording (2) * Dan Pursey – engineering, recording, vocal production (2) * Graham Archer – engineering (2, 4–8, 10–14), vocal production (2–6, 8, 10–14) * Paul LaMalfa – engineering (9) * Aine McDaid – recording (13) * Kylie Minogue – vocal engineering, additional vocal recording (12) * Steve Mac – vocal production (2) * Matt Wolach – mixing assistance * Kieran Beardmore – mixing assistance (1–3, 5–14) * Charlie Holmes – mixing assistance (1–3, 5–14) * Camden Clarke – engineering assistance (1, 10, 11) * Marta Di Nozzi – engineering assistance (3, 6) * Neil Dawes – engineering assistance (3, 6) * Will Reynolds – engineering assistance (4–6, 8, 11–13) * Hal Ritson – additional engineering (5) *

Kevin Shirley Kevin Shirley (born 29 June 1960), also known as The Caveman, is a South African music producer, engineer and mixer for many artists,Spencer et al, (2007Shirley, Kevinentry. Retrieved 4 February 2010. such as the bands Journey, Iron Maiden, ...

– additional vocal engineering (12)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Equals 2021 albums Ed Sheeran albums Albums produced by Andrew Watt (record producer) Albums produced by Ed Sheeran Albums produced by Foy Vance Albums produced by Fred Again Albums produced by Johnny McDaid Albums produced by Louis Bell Albums produced by Romans (musician) Albums produced by Steve Mac Asylum Records albums Atlantic Records albums