"Afterglow" is a song by English singer

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

. Released on 21 December 2020, the song marked Sheeran's first single release in more than 18 months. An accompanying music video features a one-take performance by Sheeran with solo acoustic guitar accompaniment. The song reached number-one in Israel and peaked within the top-ten of the charts in ten other countries, including the United Kingdom (number two on the UK Singles Chart), Australia and Switzerland. It also became Sheeran's 13th top ten on the US ''

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, the most on the chart for a male solo artist.

Background

On 20 December 2020, after having taken an extended hiatus from public life, Sheeran returned to social media to announce his new single: "Hey guys. 'Afterglow' is a song I wrote last year that I wanted to release for you". He further explained that the song is "not the first single from the next album" but just a song he loves.

Cover art

The cover art depicts an original piece of

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created by Sheeran himself.

Critical reception

The song received generally positive reviews from critics. ''

''s Gil Kaufmann described the song as a "spare acoustic ballad" that features a "haunting chorus". Zoe Haylock of ''

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'' compared the song to

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...

's latest surprise releases, saying he "took a page out of Taylor Swift's book and surprised fans with a new single" and went on to describe the track as one of his "acoustic bangers". Morgan Hines of ''

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'' thought the song, accompanied by a "mellow melody", "exudes a feeling of intimacy during an emotional time between loved ones".

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. *

– producer, guitar, vocals, backing vocals *

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– producer, bass, programmer * Marco Parisi – synthesiser * Giampaolo Jack Parisi –

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* Stuart Hawkes – masterer * Mark Spike Stent – mixer * Matt Wolach – assistant mixer * Parisi – producer, sound designer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2020 singles 2021 singles 2020 songs Ed Sheeran songs Asylum Records singles Atlantic Records singles Folk ballads Number-one singles in Israel Song recordings produced by Ed Sheeran Songs written by David Hodges Songs written by Ed Sheeran Songs written by Fred Again