Ed Sheeran says Karan Aujla taught him Punjabi bits in Symmetry; admits he is ‘obsessed’ with Hanumankind's energy

Ed Sheeran has collaborated with various Indian artists on his latest release, and shared a note about each one of them on social media.

Ed Sheeran has released his latest EP 'Play' with collaborations with renowned South Asian artists including Hanumankind, Dhee, Arijit Singh, Karan Aujla, Santhosh Narayanan, and Jonita Gandhi. Ed took to his Instagram account on Friday to add a special note about these artists.

Ed Sheeran has shared a note on the release of Symmetry.

What Ed said

The song had Ed singing along with Karan, where he also joins in for some of the Punjabi lyrics. The fun and energetic number has the trademark Ed Sheeran touch, with fans loving the cool vibe and aesthetics of the black and white music video. In the caption, Ed began: “Making and finishing Play in India was such a fun experience, but being there over the last decade touring and meeting local artists, I've been introduced to all types of music and cultures. I wanted to represent as much as I could on this EP. I'll give a rundown below.”

'Karan is culture'

Talking about Karan, Ed added, “1. Symmetry ft @karanaujla - Karan is culture, and I love the movement he's making with Ikky at the moment. It’s been so cool watching the thing he's built, and becoming a part of that world and journey. He taught me the Punjabi bits on this song in the studio, and we got to shoot an amazing video for it too. I feel like this is the beginning of our collaborative journey. I’m so excited to create more.”

Ed Sheeran loves Hanumankind

He went on to share, “2. Dont Look Down ft @hanumankind , @dhee___ , @musicsanthosh - I loooove HMK, and got the opportunity to meet him at Coachella and catch his show. I was obsessed with the energy and feel of it all. We connected then and have been speaking since about working together, and then this came up. Santhosh is one of the greatest film composers, and he also introduced me to Dhee, who is such an amazing talent and voice. I wanted to represent South India on this EP and the beautiful Tamil language, and they have done such an amazing job fusing all of this together.”

He added, “3. Sapphire ft @arijitsingh - everyone already knows the story to this, but going to Jiaganj with my dad to create this with Arijit is one of my favourite memories in my musical career.”

Praising Jonita Gandhi, Ed said, “4. Heaven ft @jonitamusic - I met Jonita in 2024 when I played my big show in Mumbai, and got to then do some shows with her the following year when I came back for tour. In short, I’m a fan. I love her voice, the tone, the softness. This was the perfect tune for us to do together, and it is also the first Hindi song I have released. It's an honour to do it with her, what a talent.”

He concluded, “The EP is out now, I've loved this collaboration process so much, I hope you enjoy it, and hopefully discover new things. Loads of love x.”

Produced by ILYA, Johnny McDaid, Savan Kotecha, FRED, and Elvira Anderfjard, the EP blends diverse musical influences, reflecting the creative energy Ed Sheeran felt in India during his tour.