Suffolk singer Ed Sheeran announces release date of new album Subtract which explores his experiences with 'fear, depression and anxiety'

Ed sheeran has announced the release date of his latest album, which will see him opened up about his experiences with depression and anxiety.

The Suffolk singer took to social media to reveal the album, titled Subtract, will be available on May 5.

In an Instagram post he wrote: "I had been working on Subtract for a decade, trying to sculpt the perfect acoustic album, writing and recording hundreds of songs with a clear vision of what I thought it should be.

"Then at the start of 2022, a series of events changed my life, my mental health, and ultimately the way I viewed music and art.

"Writing songs is my therapy. It helps me make sense of my feelings. I wrote without thought of what the songs would be, I just wrote whatever tumbled out."

He described how, within the space of a month, his pregnant wife was told she had a tumour with no route to treatment until after she gave birth, and his best friend Jamal Edwards, whom he described as a brother, died suddenly.

He discussed his appearances in court when he was accused of plagarism, a battle he eventually won.

"I was spiralling through fear, depression and anxiety. I felt like I was drowning, head below the surface, looking up but not being able to break through for air," he wrote.

"As an artist I didn’t feel like I could credibly put a body of work into the world that didn’t accurately represent where I am and how I need to express myself at this point in my life.

"This album is purely that. It’s opening the trapdoor into my soul. For the first time, I’m not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life."

Subtract will be Ed's sixth studio album, and will be released on Friday, May 5.