Louder: Ed Sheeran isn’t giving up on pop

September 13, 2025

	By Caryn Ganz

Ed Sheeran knows his place in the pop firmament is different now. He knows that for many people, he’s “a punchline to jokes,” as he put it. But he’s not done with music yet — and he hopes to transcend that reputation, the way he believes Coldplay and Phil Collins have. As he released his eighth album, “Play,” this week, he chatted with Joe Coscarelli and Jon Caramanica on Popcast, discussing the slow burn of his hits; his desire to put his family above the industry rat race; and how he’s reacted to being sued for copyright infringement.

I was pleased to publish a story about someone who went to my high school (and has appeared in a Beastie Boys lyric): George Drakoulias, the music producer and film and television music supervisor who is behind the inspired cues on “Severance” (he was up for an Emmy this week). Olivia Horn profiled Sombr, the singer and songwriter who’s drawing on bits of rock’s past, and drawing a large fan base of young women. Plus Carolina Abbott Galvão caught up with the Colombian experimental musician and composer Lucrecia Dalt as she released a new LP, Hank Shteamer profiled the jazz experiment Trio of Bloom, and Emmanuel Morgan followed Carrie Underwood as she recorded customized lyrics for her N.F.L. song “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” — over and over again.

And Ben Sisario had a scoop on where Miles Davis’s catalog is headed and how it might be used ahead of his centennial next year.

Popcast

Ed Sheeran Is Not Giving Up His Pop Throne Just Yet

The superstar singer-songwriter sat down with Popcast to discuss overcoming personal and professional turmoil ahead of his new album, “Play.”

1 HR 17 MIN LISTEN

Sombr Loves Women (and They Love Him Back), Haters Be Damned

The 20-year-old songwriter is drawing pop fandom with a sound rooted in rock history. His love life, and career, have been dramatic.

By Olivia Horn and Daniel Weiss

A man with long white hair and a bushy white beard, wearing black glasses and a black T-shirt, sits with his arms folded on his desk, surrounded by albums and memorabilia.

He’s the Reason ‘Severance’ Sounds So Good

George Drakoulias won over a reluctant Tom Petty, transformed the Black Crowes and was name-checked by the Beastie Boys. This year, he was up for an Emmy.

By Brian Raftery and Michael Tyrone Delaney

A brunette in sunglasses and a cropped dark sweater over a white shirt wears a pink tape measure around her neck, posing outdoors.

Life Can Be Brutal. Lucrecia Dalt’s Music Makes Its Own Reality.

The experimental Colombian composer looks inward on “A Danger to Ourselves,” a new album inspired by a new musical and personal partnership.

By Carolina Abbott Galvão and Brad Trone

‘Not Sure What Genre It Is’: Meet the Adventurous Trio of Bloom

The new jazz experiment featuring Nels Cline, Craig Taborn and Marcus Gilmore was assembled by the producer David Breskin in the spirit of a cult 1987 project.

By Hank Shteamer

In three images stacked on top of one another, a blond woman points in the air as two large logos are projected onto a crowd.

Carrie Underwood’s Lyrical Blitz of the N.F.L.

To customize the musical opener for week after week of “Sunday Night Football,” Underwood rattles through dozens of versions in a marathon recording session.

By Emmanuel Morgan

‘SPINAL TAP’

A music scene shows a man at a piano on the far left and other men with long hair and guitars arrayed on the stage. Wisps of smoke rise from the floor.

Kyle Kaplan/Bleecker Street

In ‘Spinal Tap’ and Its Sequel, Rock Fact and Fiction Happily Blur

Initially drawing from real life, the director Rob Reiner and his cast found that actual bands experienced moments from their work.

By Robert Ito

Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, and Michael McKean slouch on folding chairs, as members of Spinal Tap. Shearer wears a studded leather jacket and they all have serious looks on their faces.

Kyle Kaplan/Bleecker Street

‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’ Review: They Can’t Leave This Behind

Four decades after their big-screen hit, the rock legends David, Derek and Nigel have reunited for one final (really, truly) concert.

By Manohla Dargis

THE AMPLIFIER NEWSLETTER

A black-and-white photo of a shirtless, tattooed Justin Bieber hoisting his infant son over his head.

Was There a Song of This Summer?

Ten tastemakers (and two staffers) weigh in on the season’s signature tracks.

By Joe Coscarelli and Jon Caramanica

A dark-haired man in a dark-blue T-shirt leans against an old-time radio console backstage among props at the Metropolitan Opera.

Victor Llorente for The New York Times

The Composer Bringing ‘Symphonic Electronica’ to the Met

With “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay,” Mason Bates, a.k.a. DJ Masonic, expands the sound world of the Metropolitan Opera.

By Adam Nagourney

THEATER & DANCE

Three people are rehearsing a scene in a room with a wood floor and chairs scattered around the perimeter.

How a Musical Put House, Gospel and ‘Noisy Singers’ Together

“Saturday Church” taps into music from several genres, as well as Sia, to tell the story of a teenager struggling with his sexuality and faith.

By Elisabeth Vincentelli and Mohamed Sadek

Robbie Blue, wearing a backward baseball cap, paint splattered blue jeans and high top sneakers, does a dance move on an urban rooftop. He has one hand and foot on the roof, the other hand holds a raised leg.

Critic’s Spotlight

Doechii, Denim and the Ecstatic Dance Vision of Robbie Blue

The wild grandeur of a choreographer just starting out is a breath of fresh air. It’s no secret. Blue just picked up an Emmy and an MTV Video Music Award.

By Gia Kourlas and OK McCausland

NEWS

Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times

Miles Davis Catalog Sells to Reservoir Media, a Small but Savvy Player

Reservoir, led by Golnar Khosrowshahi, has acquired the majority of music rights owned by the Davis estate ahead of the jazz master’s centennial next year.

By Ben Sisario