Ed Sheeran Brought ‘Shivers’ and ‘Bad Habits’ to NPR’s ‘Tiny Desk (Home) Concert’ Series

Ed Sheeran appeared on the latest installment of NPR Music’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert series to perform a slate of songs from his upcoming studio album Equals, out Friday, October 29th.

The singer’s five-song set featured the album’s two lead singles, “Bad Habits” and “Shivers,” which set the tone for his shift toward pure pop as he continues down the rabbit hole of “Shape of You.” He also made room for the previously released “Visiting Hours,” introduced with an anecdote about the song being inspired by losing a friend.

Sheeran also premiered a new song during his set, the acoustic-driven “Overpass Graffiti,” and performed a cover of Foy Vance’s “Make It Rain.” His rendition was initially recorded in 2014 for the crime drama series Sons of Anarchy.

The Tiny Desk (Home) Concert performance is one of the few in-person live promotions for Equals that Sheeran will be able to offer during release week now that he’s had to cancel a number of performances after testing positive for COVID-19 –– potentially including an appearance as the musical guest on the November 6th episode of Saturday Night Live. 

“It means that I’m now unable to plow ahead with any in-person commitments for now, so I’ll be doing as many of my planned interviews/performances I can from my house,” he wrote on Instagram. “Apologies to anyone I’ve let down. Be safe everyone.”