New Yorkers Cheer For Ed Sheeran and Jimmy Fallon Dressed As Goths Without Actually Realizing Who They Were

It’s not unusual for celebrities to stage surprise appearances, but Ed Sheeran and Jimmy Fallon took things a step further beneath the streets of New York. During an April 8 segment for "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," Sheeran joined Fallon in full disguise for a surprise busking session at a New York City subway station. The pair called themselves "Frat Poison" and opened with a cover of Chappell Roan's "Pink Pony Club," wearing black outfits, sunglasses, piercings, and wigs that left the Grammy-winning singer completely unrecognizable. Fallon played tambourine while Sheeran strummed his guitar, slowly drawing in a crowd. 

When Fallon finally revealed their faces, the audience erupted in cheers. Sheeran then launched into a performance of his new single, "Azizam," released on April 4. As he sang the lyrics to his song, Fallon continued dancing with his tambourine, hyping up the crowd. The viewers online also enjoyed the performance. @Nicholas-c7l said, "Ed looks very unrecognizable with his appearance. Jimmy didn't hide his getup well."

@jehanhaidar2179 wrote, "Jimmy's enthusiasm is energetic. Hyping the crowd, being supportive. Ed is such a great singer." @MasterJohnMoss added, "This really drove home how good Ed’s new single is." Sheeran later talked about the performance on The Tonight Show, where he explained the meaning of the word "Azizam" and the cultural inspiration behind it. "'Azizam' is Farsi for 'my dear,'" he explained. He further said, "I was working with this producer, Ilya, who is Persian, and we were creating a lot of music, and he just suggested we do something within the Persian culture." Sheeran revealed they also recorded a full version of the song in Farsi. 

He added, "It's been really cool. I feel like the Persian community has really embraced the song and what we've been doing with it. I feel very honored to be kind of taken by the hand and shown different things." He said that the song’s evolution expanded globally. He performed versions of it with musicians in China, India, Nashville, and Ireland. "The rhythms and scales are like the same as trad music. It's just different instruments. Music is a universal language," Sheeran said. His subway appearance followed several other surprise performances of "Azizam," including a second-line parade in New Orleans. Sheeran said blending different musical cultures into the song has been one of the most rewarding aspects of the project. During the interview, he also confirmed the title of his next album: Play. 

He said, "When I was 18, I had an idea for 10 albums. It's Plus, Multiply, Divide, Subtract, Equals, and then Play, Pause, Fast Forward, Rewind, and Stop." Inspired by Quentin Tarantino's 10-film vision, Sheeran said he intends to stick to that structure. "I want to do my 10 and then every now and then do a side project," he said, referencing 2019's No.6 Collaborations Project and 2023's Autumn Variations. Sheeran also spoke about his current touring setup, describing a more balanced routine that allows him to be present with his family. "I do weekends. I do like seven months of a year weekends, and then I'm home in school terms," he said. He’s toured in several new countries recently and collects instruments from each stop to add to his personal studio.