ED SHEERAN HAS tested positive for Covid-19 less than a week before the release of his forthcoming fifth album.
The chart-topping singer, aged 30, said that he still intends to give his planned interviews and performances from his home.
The new album, = or Equals, is the latest instalment in his symbol series and is due for release on Friday, October 29.
It is among the year’s most highly anticipated music releases and includes the UK number one singles Shivers and Bad Habits.
In a statement on Instagram, the singer said: “Hey guys. “Quick note to tell you that I’ve sadly tested positive for Covid, so I’m now self-isolating and following government guidelines.”
“It means that I’m now unable to plough ahead with any in-person commitments for now, so I’ll be doing as many of my planned interviews/performances I can from my house,” he said.
“Apologies to anyone I’ve let down. Be safe everyone.”
Sheeran performed in London last week as part of the inaugural Earthshot Prize awards, which were hosted by Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Next week, he is due to join Apple Music’s Zane Lowe live to play new songs from his album and take questions from fans, and has a number of other media commitments lined up.
Sheeran lives close to Framlingham in Suffolk where he grew up.
He had previously been taking a break from music after his wife, Cherry Seaborn, gave birth to their daughter, Lyra Antarctica Seaborn Sheeran, in August 2020.
The singer shot to fame in 2011 with the launch of his chart-topping single The A Team, the lead song on his first album, which was released in September that year.
In 2022 from April to September, Sheeran will play live shows across Ireland, the UK, central Europe and Scandinavia as part of The Mathematics Tour.
Sheeran last toured stadiums during his 2017-2019 Divide Tour, playing more than 250 shows to some seven million fans, with Divide becoming the most attended and highest grossing tour of all time, breaking U2’s record.
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