MUMBAI: The music video for Ed Sheeran’s latest single, “Sapphire,” is finally out — and it’s a stunning tribute to India. The track, a unique blend of Western and Punjabi influences, is part of his upcoming eighth studio album, Play, and features iconic moments with Indian legends Shah Rukh Khan and Arijit Singh. SRK is seen joyfully singing along with Ed, while Arijit delivers a soulful verse in Punjabi, adding a rich layer of authenticity to the song.
Shot across vibrant locations in India — from the elaborate Baahubali sets to the colorful streets of Kolkata and Hyderabad — the video is a visual celebration of Indian culture. Scenes include Ed riding a local bus, dancing in a lively café, exploring film sets, and standing quietly on a barge as the Hooghly River glides behind him. The entire video is captured in a POV-style, bringing fans directly into his journey across the country.
Ahead of its release, Ed had hinted at this East-meets-West collaboration and shared that Arijit had assisted him with the Punjabi lyrics, though it wasn’t clear at the time whether the beloved Indian singer would appear in the song.
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Sapphire is the third single from Play, an album that promises deeper fan interaction and emotional resonance than anything Ed has released before. Previous singles like “Azizam” — an homage to Persian culture recorded as a looper version atop rooftops in Old Delhi — and “Old Phone”, which features Ed performing a surprise pop-up show in a cozy pub, show the personal and immersive direction this album is taking. “I wanted fans at that first Old Phone pub gig to be there for the same reason — to feel the nostalgia, longing, joy, and sadness I felt when going through my old phone,” Ed shared.
Play is set to release globally on September 12, and with tracks like “Sapphire” setting the tone, it’s clear that this album is going to be one of his most heartfelt yet.
