Ed Sheeran has enlisted Kylie Minogue for his latest single Visiting Hours.
The singer-songwriter dropped the track on Thursday, following the announcement of his forthcoming fifth studio album ‘=’.
He performed the track acoustically during an Instagram Live stream while announcing the project and said the tune is not the album’s new single, but rather a cut from the record.
It deals with the loss of Ed’s mentor and friend, Australian music mogul Michael Gudinski, and features Kylie and Jimmy Barnes on backing vocals.
The song was performed for the first time at Gudinski’s state memorial in March, with Ed previously opening up on the origins of the all-star collaboration.
He said: “Those two people were the most important people in Michael’s life musically.
“I sang with Kylie and then I hung with Jimmy afterwards and I was just like, ‘You guys have to be on this song.’
“So I got back to England, recorded it, sent it off to them, and they’re on it.”
Ed called his new album the “best piece of work that I’ve ever done,” and said in a statement: “‘=’ (Equals) is a really personal record and one that means a lot to me.
“My life changed greatly over the past few years – I got married, became a father, experienced loss, and I reflect on these topics over the course of the album.
“I see it as my coming-of-age record, and I can’t wait to share this next chapter with you.”
‘=’, due October 29, is available to pre-order on CD and vinyl (including limited variants).
