Ed Sheeran has released a stripped down version of his hit single “I Don’t Care,” re-recording the pop tune as an emotional acoustic ballad. The original song, a collaboration with Justin Bieber, hit No. 1 after its release earlier this month. Produced by Max Martin, Shellback and FRED, the single marked Sheeran’s first new music since 2017’s Divide.
“I Don’t Care” will appear on Sheeran’s upcoming album No. 6 Collaborations Project, which is out July 12th. The album will also include Sheeran’s latest single “Cross Me,” which features Chance the Rapper and PnB Rock. While Sheeran has released the tracklisiting for the album, he has yet to reveal the other collaborations that will appear on the collection.
In a recent interview with with radio personality and host of The Breakfast Club Charlamagne Tha God Sheeran explained his inspiration for the album. “Before I was signed [to a label], I made lots of EPs, and I made an eight-track EP called No.5 Collaborations Project with a load of UK rappers that I was a big fan of at the time,” Sheeran said. “It was when I [worked with] Beyoncé and Andrea Bocelli, and I had them both on the ‘Perfect’ single, that I started a thing on my laptop, ‘No.6 Collaborations.’ And just throughout the year while I was on tour, any time I met anyone that I’d been a fan of, it was the first time I’d been able to be like, ‘Let’s get in the studio’… For me, this is a compilation album of artists that I am a fan of.”
No.6 Collaborations Project is currently available for preorder.
