The world of music and video games have collided once more, with Ed Sheeran embracing his love of Pokémon for his newest track, Celestial.
It might come as a surprise to some, but Sheeran is a self-professed Pokémon nerd. A lifelong fan of the series, he's been playing the games ever since he was a kid, with the myriad titles still keeping him company years down the lines. "I’ve played Pokémon since I was in primary school," he explains.
"Me and my brother used to have different versions of the games and would trade Pokémon together ‘til we each completed our Pokédex. I loved the cards but the games are what I lost myself in. I loved the whole world they created; it kept me distracted if there was negative stuff happening in my life/school that I wanted to avoid. It was a world I could escape into and I’ve played it ever since.
"Even though I'm 31 now, I still own the same Game Boy Colour and play Pokémon Yellow or Silver on planes and trains when I'm on tour," he adds.
Now, he's managed to combine his love of music and the iconic series with his latest creation, Celestial. Set to feature on the soundtracks to Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet when they arrive on the Nintendo Switch on 18th November, it's a powerful track that encapsulates Sheeran's passions.
However, its accompanying music video is the real highlight here, with its inspiration being drawn from Sheeran's own childhood fascination with the franchise, and featuring some of his favourite Pokémon such as Pikachu, Squirtle, Machamp, Snorlax, and more.
Directed by Yuichi Kodama and utilising a unique ‘sketch’ themed art direction from Yu Nagaba, the clip sees him plagued by visions of Pokémon as they enter his day-to-day life, whether it be a positive or negative influence they bring along for the ride.
"It’s such an honour to add a song into a Pokémon game and shoot a nostalgic video too," Sheeran said of the experience. "I hope you guys enjoy the song and video – it was a blast to film!”
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Ed Sheeran is currently set to return to Australia early next year for his long-awaited + – = ÷ tour. No word yet as to whether Celestial will be making an appearance, though the chances are good he might be playing Pokémon in the tour bus.
