In a post on the singer’s Instagram page, he shared a video of him performing his song “Wake Me Up” from his 2011 album + in the living room of an overwhelmed and excited fan.

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Sheeran said in his post “So I did some surprise pop up gigs in fans houses, secretly recording a live version of Autumn Variations where each song is recorded in a different fans living room, but all of it was a total surprise.” The Instagram teaser also revealed that “The fan living room live Autumn Variations album coming soon, proper album out September 29th go preorder you legends x”.

The pop star’s upcoming seventh album is produced by Aaron Dessner of American band The National, who also worked with Sheeran on his album - (Subtract) which was released in May and marked the end of the singer’s so-called “mathematical era”. In a statement via Rolling Stone, Sheeran spoke on working with Dessner, stating “When I recorded ‘-’ (‘Subtract’) with Aaron Dessner, we clicked immediately. We wrote and recorded non-stop and this album was born out of that partnership. I feel he has captured the feeling of autumn so wonderfully in his sonics and I hope everyone loves it as much as I do.”.

It is said that Sheeran’s upcoming Autumn Variations is inspired by a piece of 19th century orchestral work by composer Edward Elgar, titled Enigma Variations.

Sheeran will be promoting his new album by performing Autumn Variations in full at London’s Royal Albert Hall this November. Tickets are available here.

Recording the live version of Autumn Variations is not the only surprise the “Eyes Closed” singer has given fans recently. Last week, the musician surprised two fans in Las Vegas by giving an unplanned performance at their wedding. For their special day, Sheeran performed the song “Magical” from his upcoming LP. The singer uploaded this moment to his Instagram, with the caption “Crashed a wedding, this is Magical x”

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You can preorder Autumn Variations here.

Tour dates:

18/11/2023 – Royal Albert Hall – London

19/11 – Royal Albert Hall – London

Link in bio pic.twitter.com/03D8oQvoOc

— SAULT (@SaultGlobal) November 1, 2022

Now… if you’ve ever gotten to know me, you may be aware that I’ve got a special place in my heart for music that is surprising. Whether it’s general amazement at the talent of a band like black midi, or the whimsy and mysticism of The Smile; I love a secret, I love a surprise. That being said, if any project has spent their time really leaning into the element of surprise, then SAULT are the one to take the crown – in my opinion. Since their debut, 5, back in 2019, the group have maintained a level of mystery rivalling that of Daft Punk, other than the almost obvious production credits from Inflo, and vocal appearances from Cleo Sol and Kid Sister; everything else is pretty much under wraps. The group have never played live, released a music video, or given an interview; they also have quite a substantial list of unnamed collaborators.

I mused back in April, after the group gave us their last offering – Air – that there would be another release this year. So even if I didn’t figure out the passwords for myself, I’ll feel good about myself. My speculation may not have been spot on, but the parallels to the 99-day release window for last year’s Nine meant that something had to be brewing.

After a quick listen to each of the LPs, there are some obvious directions that can be seen in previous works. Airr, for example, follows the more symphonic, ethereal style of April’s Air. (Untitled) God seems obviously in sync with its other Untitled siblings, Earth leans more into African-style dance music, while Today & Tomorrow could have easily been written 50 years ago. With 11, I’m continuing my semi-grounded conspiracy that 5, 7, and 9 are all one continuous project and constantly being updated. I think it fits musically, and thematically. Good luck with those passwords.