Ed Sheeran has teamed up with 'Right On' rapper Lil Baby to give his '=' album track - '2step' a remixed new sound. Ed's new single is accompanied by a video that was shot in Kyiv, Ukraine, before Russia began its unprovoked invasion of the country. All of the royalties raised from YouTube streams of the video will go towards helping the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
As the credits begin at the start of the video a statement from Sheeran reads - "I filmed the video for ‘2step’ in the city of Kyiv, Ukraine before the devastating acts of violence started to take place. It was my first time visiting the country and I felt so welcomed during my stay there – everyone from the production crew to the many people I met across my days off. Ukraine is a proud and resilient country and I’m grateful to have had the chance to film my video there. I stand with Ukraine and will be donating my record royalties from YouTube streams of the video to the DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal x”.
The video is directed by film producer Henry Scholfield who has previously directed Stormzy's 'Vosi Bop', Dua Lipa's 'New Rules' and Rosalia's 'DI MI NOMBRE', and was facilitated by The Ukrainian company Radioaktivefilm. Talking about the '2step' filming they said - "This video really reminds us of the best of times; it was the last video we did before our world fell apart. Watching it gives us some normality and happiness, and we hope you enjoy this video as much as we do right now".
Last month Ed Sheeran was more than happy to interrupt his very busy schedule to perform at The Concert For Ukraine which was shown on ITV and raised much needed funds for the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. The concert, which also featured Paloma Faith and Manic Street Preachers among many others, raised over £12million.