x (2LP)

x is Ed Sheeran's second album that features new single ‘Sing’ as well as tracks such as ‘One’, Runaway' and ‘The Man’. x is a twist, almost literally, on the title on Sheeran's 2011 LP, +. The 23-year-old has claimed to have written “about 120” songs for his second release, recording them with Rick Rubin, Pharrell Williams and and producer Jake Gosling. To choose the best of these, he asked the advice of songwriting pal Taylor Swift. “She's heard all the songs and she's a good judge of what's good or not good,” he told MTV News. Included on the tracklising are the previously heard ‘Tenerife’ – which he performed during his Madison Square Garden shows at the end of 2013. Aged just 20, Ed Sheeran cemented himself into British music history in 2011 with the release of “+”, which stormed the UK album chart at number 1. Achieving the highest first week sales for a male debut, it featured incredible, homespun songs that connected with an ever-expanding fan-base – songs such as ‘The A Team’, ‘You Need Me, I Don’t Need You’, ‘Lego House’ and ‘Give Me Love’. In New Zealand, Ed has achieved phenomenal success – with sales of more than 200,000 singles and more than 60,000 albums (4 x Platinum).