Ed Sheeran has announced his Mathematics Tour dates for India that will see him perform in six cities next year.
The “Shape of You” singer took to social media to share his tour dates for India, Bhutan, where he will be performing for the first time, and Qatar, where he will be returning after a decade.
The Grammy-winning British singer-songwriter’s first stop is Pune, where he is performing on 30 January. He then goes to the southern city of Hyderabad on 2 February, Chennai on 5 February, Bengaluru on 8 February, Shillong on 12 February, and Delhi three days later.
Sheeran is performing in Bhutan on 24 January, Doha on 30 April, and Bahrain on 2 May.
“Coming back to India for my biggest ever tour of your beautiful country. Also coming to play Bhutan for the first time, coming back to Qatar for the first time in a decade and playing that beautiful amphitheatre in Bahrain again,” he said on Instagram. “What a way to start 2025, can’t wait to see you all there.”
Tickets for India are expected to go on sale on 11 December 2024. Tickets for the Bhutan shows can be bought on 30 November, and for Qatar and Bahrain on 6 December.
Sheeran last toured India in March and performed at a sold-out show where he brought on stage Indian musician Diljit Dosanjh as a surprise, singing the latter’s hit track “Lover”. The 50,000-strong crowd was further excited when Sheeran joined in by singing the lyrics in Punjabi.
He then joined Dosanjh at his Birmingham show in September and the duo performed a mashup of Sheeran’s hit, “The Shape of You” and Dosanjh’s song, “Naina”.
Sheeran said in a statement earlier this year he wasn’t asked for permission to have his vocals featured on a new version of the Band Aid single, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”
He previously featured in the 2014 version of the charity single, which sought to raise awareness about Ebola relief efforts in Africa.
A new mix, featuring performances from the “supergroups” involved in the original 1984 track and the 2004 and 2014 versions, is being released to mark Band Aid’s 40th anniversary, with proceeds going towards health and anti-poverty initiatives across Africa.
In an Instagram post, Sheeran shared a comment by Ghanaian-British musician Fuse ODG, who accused the campaign of dehumanising Africans and destroying “our pride and identity in the name of ‘charity’”.
“My approval wasn’t sought on this new Band Aid 40 release and had I had the choice I would have respectfully declined the use of my vocals,” Sheeran wrote.
“A decade on and my understanding of the narrative associated with this has changed, eloquently explained by [Fuse ODG].
“This is just my personal stance. I’m hoping it’s a forward-looking one. Love to all.”
