Ed Sheeran immersed himself in Persian culture for his “Azizam” single, and there’s no better way to visually represent that culture than a Persian wedding, which takes center stage as the theme of the track’s just-released video.
In the video released Thursday (April 17) and directed by Saman Kesh, Sheeran is seen frustrated while going through writer’s block with his producer, Ilya Salmanzadeh, in the studio.
The Grammy-winning singer/songwriter is thrust into the chaos of preparing for a Persian wedding. Sheeran gets a loaded crash coarse on all things related to the extravagant ceremony as he samples different cuisine, fashion, dancing and more to get him ready for the day.
“When we had all finished ‘Azizam’ in the studio, I asked @ilya_music what we should do for a music video, and he said ‘you gotta do it as a Persian wedding, thats the best way to showcase all of the culture in a video,’” Sheeran wrote to IG. “I contacted @saman_kesh, who I have worked with before, who is also Persian, and asked him to basically make a video which is me going on a crash course Persian wedding. He wanted to make it like other non Persians would experience a wedding for the first time, and how full on, but fun it is.”
He continued: “I found it was so similar in ways to the Irish weddings I grew up going to, but obviously so different in other ways. Much like the rhythms and instrumentation of the song, I find our two cultures have so much intertwined similarities. But underneath it all is love and pride. I loved the day shooting, I learnt so many new things, got to experience all of it with my dad, and work with amazing people.”
The celebratory clip comes to a close with Sheeran returning from the wedding feeling inspired and ready to make another hit song, which the pop star has done plenty of in the past.
“Azizam,” which translates to “my dear” or “my beloved” from Arabic to English, is set to appear on Sheeran’s upcoming Play album. “Azizam” serves as Sheeran’s first single of 2025 jetsetting into the LP.
Like his mathematical symbol album series, Play will follow a similar pattern, including other albums coming down the pipeline like Fast-Forward, Rewind and Stop.
Sheeran stopped by The Tonight Show last month, where he premiered an unreleased single titled “Old Phone,” while “Azizam” was released earlier in April to officially kick off his new era.
Look for Play to arrive later this year and watch the “Azizam” video below.
