The National's Aaron Dessner has added to his pop portfolio by producing - (a.k.a. Subtract), the new album from Ed Sheeran. Now, Dessner has spoken out about his collaboration with Sheeran, explaining how this surprising team-up came to be.
As previously revealed, the pair met through their mutual acquaintance Taylor Swift, when Dessner worked on Swift's Red (Taylor's Version) track "Run" (which features Sheeran). Dessner wrote on Instagram, "Some time later we met up in New York City for dinner and talked at length about music and life. It felt so relaxed and as if we already knew each other. Thinking about Ed's music, I realized I was hearing things in my head I thought we could explore, musical ideas that would allow for more space and bring out what I admire about his guitar playing and incredible voice"
Similar to his process with Swift, Dessner began writing instrumental ideas and sending them to Sheeran. "A few months later in the winter of 2021, he started writing to them and sending sometimes multiple song ideas a day, inspired by a very difficult period he was going through in his life," Dessner wrote.
Have written songs remotely, they met up in England in early 2022 and finished more than 30 songs within a week in the studio. According to Dessner, "I couldn't be more proud of this record and the vulnerability and honesty Ed showed in making these songs with me. There's something deeply vulnerable and ultimately cathartic and therapeutic about shifting sadness and pain and anxiety into music, transforming darkness into light in this way and sharing these sentiments with others."
Subtract comes out May 5. Sheeran hasn't yet released a single, so we don't know what his work with Dessner sounds like. Read Dessner's full post below.
The National's new album, First Two Pages of Frankenstein, is out April 28.
As previously revealed, the pair met through their mutual acquaintance Taylor Swift, when Dessner worked on Swift's Red (Taylor's Version) track "Run" (which features Sheeran). Dessner wrote on Instagram, "Some time later we met up in New York City for dinner and talked at length about music and life. It felt so relaxed and as if we already knew each other. Thinking about Ed's music, I realized I was hearing things in my head I thought we could explore, musical ideas that would allow for more space and bring out what I admire about his guitar playing and incredible voice"
Similar to his process with Swift, Dessner began writing instrumental ideas and sending them to Sheeran. "A few months later in the winter of 2021, he started writing to them and sending sometimes multiple song ideas a day, inspired by a very difficult period he was going through in his life," Dessner wrote.
Have written songs remotely, they met up in England in early 2022 and finished more than 30 songs within a week in the studio. According to Dessner, "I couldn't be more proud of this record and the vulnerability and honesty Ed showed in making these songs with me. There's something deeply vulnerable and ultimately cathartic and therapeutic about shifting sadness and pain and anxiety into music, transforming darkness into light in this way and sharing these sentiments with others."
Subtract comes out May 5. Sheeran hasn't yet released a single, so we don't know what his work with Dessner sounds like. Read Dessner's full post below.
The National's new album, First Two Pages of Frankenstein, is out April 28.
