Written by: Adrian Andulan Published on: August 14 2021 at 15:24 PHT (GMT+8)
The singer-songwriter, known for hits like 'Perfect', 'Photograph, and 'Thinking Out Loud', takes an animated twist for the newest music video for his song 'Bad Habits'.
Set in modern day Tokyo, the music video chronicles the story between a young woman and her love for a male idol. After a chance encounter, she finds her spiraling into the world of the artist she admires, and realizes the true darkness of his world.
The music video marks the first time that Ed Sheeran and illustrator Rui Ikeda have collaborated on a project. According to Ikeda, the story for their music video was inspired by the original live music video that featured Sheeran. Ikeda wanted to portray the relationship of the idol and the fan, commenting that this project made Ikeda particularly nervous.
According to an article by Comic Natalie, Ikeda had this to say:
"I never dreamed of being involved with Ed Sheeran, an artist I've always been a big fan of. When I think that the person himself sees it, I remember that I was nervous one by one. The story was developed on the stage of Tokyo, and it was annoying and exciting to know where and how to express the lyrics. I think it would be fun if you could find your own ideas by looking at various parts."
Rui Ikeda is a manga illustrator and artist that is popular on both TikTok and Instagram, known for clean and pleasing visual designs. The artists commented about the story, saying that: "It's sly to be loved more than before even though I'm not next to you anymore."
Source: Anime News Network, Comic Natalie
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