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Ed Sheeran breaks hearts with Taylor Swift throwback before dropping emotional new single

The singer opens up about a painful trip down memory lane - and the song it inspired

Ed Sheeran Shares Rare Taylor Swift Snap, Emotional Memories Surface...
Ed Sheeran Shares Rare Taylor Swift Snap, Emotional Memories Surface Ahead of Old Phone ReleaseInstagram @teddysphotos

Ed Sheeran took fans on a trip down memory lane this week, sharing a rare throwback selfie with Taylor Swiftas he opened up about the emotional rollercoaster that inspired his single, Old Phone.

To celebrate the release, Ed, 34, launched a brand-new Instagram packed with never-before-seen photos, voice notes, and handwritten lyrics - all pulled from an old phone he hadn't touched since 2015. What started as a court-mandated search for evidence during his copyright lawsuit ended up uncovering much more.

Ed Sheeran was terrified after George Russell took him on a hot 150 MPH lap

A courtroom twist led to an unexpected deep dive into Ed's past

During his 2023 trial over Thinking Out Loud-where he was ultimately cleared of copying Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On-a judge ordered Ed to turn over his old devices. Powering on his ancient phone for the first time in years, he found himself face-to-face with a flood of memories.

"The first message was from Jamal Edwards, who had just ed away,"Ed wrote. "The second from an ex-girlfriend. The third from a family member I hadn't spoken to in a decade. And it went on from there."

The experience felt like flipping through a time capsule, he said, with emotional conversations and old photos of friends, some now gone, others simply distant.

Among the gems he found was a cozy selfie with Taylor Swift - a glimpse into a time when the two pop powerhouses were just young artists navigating fame together. The post quickly went viral, with fans celebrating their enduring friendship.

Inspired by the bittersweet memories, Ed stayed up late one night in India, pouring his feelings into a song he wrote at 2 a.m."It feels like it could've been on my debut album,"he said. "But also something I couldn't have written until I'd lived a little."

Old Phone drops Thursday at 11 a.m. EDT / 4 p.m. BST, marking the beginning of a new era for Ed. He's also promised to release a new track every month leading up to his highly anticipated eighth album, Play, set to arrive sometime in 2025.

Recently, Ed surprised Londoners with an acoustic pop-up performance outside King's Cross Station to promote his latest single Azizam - and true to form, he made the city stop in its tracks. If Old Phone carries even half the emotional punch it promises, it's safe to say fans are in for something special.

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