British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has announced a new single titled Azizam — a Persian term of endearment meaning "my dear" or "my beloved" — created in collaboration with Grammy-nominated producer Ilya Salmanzadeh.
The song was co-written and produced by the Swedish-Iranian producer, known professionally as ILYA, the Official Charts music tracker reported.
The outlet noted that ILYA’s Iranian heritage influenced the track’s title and musical direction. ILYA was previously nominated for a Grammy Award in 2020 for Best Song Written for Visual Media for co-writing “Spirit” from The Lion King, performed by Beyoncé.
"Album done. Single soon. I’m very excited as you can tell," Sheeran wrote in an Instagram post, which featured a video of him in the studio with producer ILYA, listening to a mix of the unreleased track.
The track, which has not yet been officially released, is expected to debut in April as part of Sheeran’s forthcoming album, Play, according to Official Charts.
British-Iranian comedian Omid Djalili also appears in the music video for Azizam, which was filmed in South London and features a wedding scene.
“Wait for the video when @edsheeran gets sucked into our vortex featuring a certain overweight bald gentleman you might know #happynowruz,” Djalili wrote on X on Thursday, the day of Nowruz, the Persian New Year.
Sheeran gave fans a live preview of the track during a surprise performance in New Orleans on March 15, where he was joined by The Soul Rebels brass band, People magazine reported.
The song is reportedly a tribute to Sheeran’s wife, Cherry Seaborn, with whom he shares two daughters.
The announcement has drawn praise from several Iranian public figures.
Iranian pop star Andy commented under Sheeran’s Instagram post: "Congratulations my friend. It’s a great song and the video will be great too."
Actress and comedian Nazanin Nour called the news "Incredible," while actress and activist Nazanin Bonyadi linked it to Iranian New Year on March 20th. "In time for Noroo," she wrote on X.
Iranian social media users also responded positively, with many celebrating the use of a Persian title and welcoming the inclusion of artists from the Iranian diaspora.
