Ed Sheeran calls his visit to Arijit Singh’s hometown 'a pilgrimage of music'

Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh’s much-talked-about collaboration, Sapphire, dropped in June, but the British pop star has now revealed the story behind how the track came together, and it all started with a trip to Singh’s hometown in India.

Taking to Instagram on Thursday, Sheeran shared a heartfelt post alongside a special version of Sapphire, offering fans a glimpse into their time together in India. The video was filmed during Sheeran’s visit to the country as part of his Mathematics tour. While here, he made a meaningful detour to Jiaganj Azimganj, West Bengal, Arijit Singh’s hometown.

"One of my fav experiences ever in my career was going to Jiaganj Azimganj with my dad to go and see @arijitsingh for the final jigsaw piece of 'Sapphire'. It was a 24 hour trip, and felt like a pilgrimage of music. After a 5 and a half hour drive when we landed, we arrived, Arijit took us on a boat to see the sights. talked, ate, drunk coffee. then once we were in the studio he taught me how to sing in Punjabi, and a bit of Sitar," Ed Sheeran wrote.

Their time together went beyond the studio. Sheeran recounted a late-night scooty ride with Singh, during which they rode by the river, listened to prayer, and spoke about music, a moment Sheeran describes as one of the most “amazing days” of his musical career. "We then went on a late night scooty ride, with me on the back of Arijits bike and my dad on the back of his securities. We listened to prayer by the river and talked about music. it was honestly one of the most amazing days in my musical career, and was the ending of a beautiful journey of this song, but beginning of something bigger."

Ed Sheeran also revealed how deeply personal the track has become in his own life. "I love this version of the song, its the one i listen to every morning with my daughters, because i love Arijits voice, tone, flow and rhythm. i hope you feel the same way i do about it. thank you Arijit for your time, grace and talent. 'Sapphire' feat. Arijit out now on all platforms," he concluded.


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