Sheeran and Seaborn welcomed their second daughter last May. The singer did not provide an update on his wife's health.

In the Instagram post, Sheeran wrote: "I had been working on Subtract for a decade, trying to sculpt the perfect acoustic album, writing and recording hundreds of songs with a clear vision of what I thought it should be." https://www.instagram.com/p/CpPZpGYDT9P/ But following the events at the start of 2022, he scrapped these songs and "replaced a decade's worth of work with my deepest darkest thoughts." He continued: "Within the space of a month, my pregnant wife got told she had a tumour, with no route to treatment until after the birth. "My best friend Jamal, a brother to me, died suddenly, and I found myself standing in court defending my integrity and career as a songwriter. "I was spiralling through fear, depression and anxiety. I felt like I was drowning, head below the surface, looking up but not being able to break through for air." "As an artist I didn’t feel like I could credibly put a body of work into the world that didn’t accurately represent where I am and how I need to express myself at this point in my life. "This album is purely that. It’s opening the trapdoor into my soul. For the first time, I’m not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life. "This is last February’s diary entry and my way of making sense of it. This is Subtract." https://twitter.com/edsheeran/status/1630856148524859393 The album will act as the conclusion to his 'mathematical era'. This long-planned project began with '+' (Plus) in 2011, and continued with 'x' (Multiply), '÷' (Divide) and '=' (Equals). '-' is due to be released on May 5, and will range from "paired back, folk-leaning textures to bolder, full-band/orchestral arrangements," according to a press release from Sheeran's record label, Atlantic.