Ed Sheeran’s New Single “Bad Habits” Reigns No. 1 on UK Singles Chart for its Fourth Week
British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran stepped back into the spotlight earlier this year with his new single “Bad Habits”, which has sat comfortably on top of the UK music charts for the past month. It currently holds the Number 1 spot on the UK’s First Look chart, which ranks the popularity of a song within that area based on its sales and streaming activity over the past week.
When “Bad Habits” was announced in June of this year, fans were shocked to see Sheeran in a totally glammed up look, a complete 180 from his usual “boy next door with an acoustic guitar” vibe. Sheeran was originally spotted by fans in late April 2021, dressed in a zombie-like costume that initially sparked rumors of new music. However, once the teasers and the official music video dropped, it was revealed that Sheeran went for a disco vampire theme to convey the song’s message. He later revealed that this cinematic choice was to “play on the nature of habits in a fantastical way.” Therefore, he felt vampires were an appropriate visual representation of that theme.
The singer-songwriter revealed that he was originally going to release the song as the lead single for his upcoming studio album, and it was recorded as a slower, acoustic version from the official track. However, he stated that as COVID-19 restrictions were being lifted in England, he decided to re-record it and release it as his own single. Sheeran stated, “I don't know if the world needs a depressing sad, slow acoustic song when it's all opening up”, therefore he decided to take this as an opportunity to “surprise people,” and come up with something that was completely different from what his fans would expect from him.
Sheeran definitely proved that this move was successful given the response from his audience and the fact that the song has topped the charts since its release. This goes to show that sometimes, it is good for an artist to switch things up and change their branding and overall image to stay relevant with the times. While we are highly anticipating Ed Sheeran’s fifth album that is in the works and what more he has in store, we are also very excited to see if and how he chooses to continue down a similar path with his music as he did with “Bad Habits”.
