His New Song Will Make You Feel All the Feels

Are you ready for a little Friday afternoon swoon? Good. Take a listen to the live rendition of Ed Sheeran's “One,” a new moving ballad lifted from his upcoming second studio album, X. In the black and white performance video for the song, Sheeran stands alone on stage, absolutely pouring his heart out to an audience of…no one. The video was filmed in a completely empty Wembley Arena in London, which actually just adds to the song's emotional impact. Gone is the funk of the Pharrell-produced lead single “Sing” — on “One,” Sheeran takes us back to his singer-songwriter roots. All Sheeran really needs to make us feel all the feels is his guitar and his beautiful voice.

If you think “One” would’ve sounded at home on Sheeran’s debut album +, there’s a reason for that: the song was written all the way back in 2011. Sheeran explained in a statement, “ ‘One’ is the first track I wrote for my second album, shortly after + came out. I wrote it back in 2011 in Perth, on a guitar made out of a whiskey barrel.”

Whiskey, eh? Well, I guess that makes sense. On “One,” Sheeran sings about “stumbling home” drunk, getting lost, and listening to sad love songs — sounds like whiskey to me! Really, the entire song is stunning, but it’s the opening line that really socks you in the gut: “Tell me that you turned down the man who asked for your hand ‘cause you’re waiting for me."

Oh, Edward! Sometimes, Sheeran is just this sad little pug puppy and I love it. With “One,” Sheeran has shown fans that while he may have changed up his sound a little bit for his upcoming album, he hasn’t forgotten where he came from. I can’t wait to hear more new material from him! X is out on June 23.