Two high-profile British pop releases arrive on the same day as Ed Sheeran issues Play, a self-described move back toward “big pop,” and Jade Thirlwall — performing as Jade — issues her first solo album, That's Showbiz Baby!. Both records draw on personal upheaval and musical reinvention, while the artists prepare separate live runs that will take them to arenas and theatres across the U.K. and Europe.
Sheeran, 34, frames Play as a fresh phase after two acoustic, folk-leaning 2023 releases and a globe-spanning tour. Reviewers say the eighth studio album balances autobiographical songwriting with a broader, more global sound that incorporates bhangra-style beats and songs sung partly in Hindi and Farsi. On the opening track "Open," he sings, "I have loved and lost, and feared and prayed, but now the day bursts wide and open," setting a tone that acknowledges loss while seeking light.
Play revisits elements of Sheeran's one-man-band roots while expanding into collaborations and electronic textures. Key tracks highlighted by critics include "Sapphire," a duet with Indian singer Arijit Singh, and "Azizam," which features Indian percussion and an Iranian dulcimer and was co-written with Iranian-born Swedish producer Ilya Salmanzadeh. Songs such as "Old Phone" and "Camera" lean on familiar Sheeran strengths: concise storytelling, melodic hooks and arena-ready arrangements. The album also addresses the personal crises that shaped recent work, including the death of music entrepreneur Jamal Edwards, medical issues involving his pregnant wife, and two high-profile copyright lawsuits, which Sheeran references in his lyrics.
Sheeran has publicly discussed plans to relocate his family to the United States ahead of a future U.S. tour, comments that reviewers have framed as part of a wider sense of change reflected in Play. The singer continues to tour this year, with upcoming U.K. dates including CBS Arena in Coventry on Dec. 5 and Co-Op Live in Manchester on Dec. 7.
Jade Thirlwall's debut solo album takes a different tack, trading the harmonised pop of Little Mix for an idiosyncratic, sample-forward pop record. Thirlwall, 32, who first released a solo single in July 2024, arrived with the single "Angel Of My Dreams," which opened with a distorted sample of Sandie Shaw's "Puppet On A String" and moved through abrupt tempo changes. The single earned her recognition at this year’s BRIT Awards, where she won best pop act.
That's Showbiz Baby! carries that spirit of unpredictability into a full-length project. Working with a range of collaborators including Mike Sabath, Lostboy, Cirkut, Pablo Bowman and fellow BRIT winner Raye, Jade performs every track without her former bandmates. Tracks such as "It Girl" continue the fractured pop and rap approach of her earlier single, with lyrics asserting a new artistic autonomy: "Gone is the girl that you could con... I'm not your thing, I'm not your baby doll." "Before You Break My Heart" incorporates a sample of The Supremes' "Stop! In The Name Of Love," while "Unconditional" was written with her mother's battle with lupus in mind.
Critics note that the album's adventurous moments are offset by occasional generic dance-pop passages; one routine example cited is "Lip Service." Still, many reviews describe the record as an assured solo debut that establishes Thirlwall's distinct identity apart from Little Mix.
Both releases follow periods of personal and professional transition for the artists. Sheeran's recent albums Subtract and Autumn Variations were read by listeners and reviewers as introspective departures from his mainstream pop catalogue; Play is presented as a re-engagement with larger-scale pop production and cross-cultural influences gathered during international touring. Thirlwall's shift comes after Little Mix's hiatus in 2022 and a decade of mainstream success following the group's 2011 X Factor victory.
Play is released on Gingerbread Man and is available now. That's Showbiz Baby! is released on RCA and is also available now; Jade begins a solo tour on Oct. 8 at 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin. Critics and fans will have the remainder of the year to judge how the albums fare live and whether the records mark enduring new directions for both artists.