Suffolk superstar Ed Sheeran has confirmed his new album 'Equals' is to be released this October.

Ed had teased that a mystery announcement was due to be made on his Instagram page at 2pm on Thursday.

That surprise later turned out to be the 30-year-old's first album since the release of No.6 Collaborations Project in July 2019.

In an Instagram livestream, the Shape of You singer confirmed the 14-song album will be released on October 29.

Referencing a teaser Instagram post from Wednesday, Sheeran said: "You will have seen the little chrysalis cocoon that is on there. Basically the symbolism behind the album is sort of new life.

"I’ve been through, over the last sort of four years, different experiences in life, including… getting married, having a kid, losing a friend, and I just felt like the butterfly symbolism fit in with that.

"There’s 14 songs on the album. It’s been a kind of painstaking process, cutting it down to 14 songs.

"I started with quite a lot, but they all have their place and I love it, I think it’s the best bit of work that I’ve done, and it’s cohesive, and it feels great."

Sheeran, who grew up in Framlingham and continues to live near the town, announced a hiatus from his music career in December 2019 after the conclusion of his record-breaking Divide tour.

He returned a year later with the release of the new track Afterglow, which was followed by Bad Habits earlier this summer.