Drop your poké balls! Ed Sheeran has just teamed up with Pokémon for his latest single.
After posting a snippet of his forthcoming single on Instagram, singing and playing his guitar while surrounded by dozens of Pokémon plushies, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter formally announced his collaboration with The Pokémon Company for a new track called, Celestial, last September 23.
ED’S POKÉMON OBSESSION
@edsheeran This is only half of the collection #singing ♬ Celestial – Ed Sheeran
“I got a game boy color with Pokémon yellow for my 8th birthday, obsessed was an understatement,” his IG caption read. Sheeran also wrote that all of it started out as a joke when he was in Japan and then hinted at an “insanely amazing” animated music video accompanying his new music.
“It gave me a proper escape as a kid into a fantasy world that seemed to go on and on, and in adult life it’s nostalgia that makes me feel like a kid again,” Sheeran said of the much beloved video game series.
@edsheeran I think it fits right in, yeah? ‘Celestial’ out 29 Sept!
♬ Celestial – Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran even sported a new tattoo of Squirtle, a water-type Pokémon, in an IG reel to celebrate his upcoming song. In other videos, his obsession with the animated series is evident as he’s seen carrying a bunch of plushies and being covered with them while an excerpt of the song plays in the background.
ED’S TRAINER SPIRIT
This is not the first time that Sheeran has collaborated with Pokémon. In November of last year, Ed Sheeran held an in-game concert through the Pokémon GO app and performed some songs from his album =, including Perfect, Bad Habits, and Shivers among other hits.
“I’ve just bought the new pokemon game. I’d like to say I got it for the long journeys on tour, but I’m still a kid at heart. Very excited,” Ed Sheeran excitedly said in a tweet over a decade ago, a vivid testament to his Pokémon trainer spirit.
Catch Celestial on major streaming platforms on Thursday, September 29.
Continue Reading: ITZY, I Choose You: ITZY Is Officially Partnering With Pokémon
