Music is power. People use it to express emotions, protest and make a statement. Just like any other type of artist, musicians make music to explore and expand on their experiences and relate to others. 
Ed Sheeran’s newest album, “Divide,” is unique. On his opening track “Eraser”, he raps about many topics, but they all have to do with his journey to the present. He then goes on throughout the album to serenade us with the folksy wedding-dance songs he’s famous for, like “Hearts Don’t Break Around Here”. He peppers in some fun pop tunes like “Galway Girl” and “Barcelona” before tying it up with a song about his Irish grandmother “Nancy Mulligan” and her life. 
Why is the diversity of style, tone and lyrics important? They speak to people from all walks of life. The point of this album seems to be unification. Sheeran has included many different genres of music while keeping his unique one-man-band sound intact, all to capture the attention of audiences everywhere. 
I used to joke with my friends that Ed Sheeran  was dead after he went on a year-long hiatus from society. I recently saw an interview with him   talking about his journey to such a stellar album, and how he threw his phone away and has not gotten another one. 
Take that in. 
In a culture that is sucked into the tiny screens we carry, Ed Sheeran, one of the most successful musicians of our generation, threw his away to focus on being more present. It takes a special kind of person to do that. 
He went traveling for a year, doing anything that he wanted. He visited his home in the English countryside and visited a geyser where he burned his feet. He took the time to understand what it was like to be human again; he really took life in. 
Now, because he is a successful musician, he can afford to do this. Just because throwing our phones away and traveling for a year isn’t possible for everyday people doesn’t mean we have to be slaves to our devices. It doesn’t mean we have to listen to the same top 40 songs that are, for the most part, repetitive techno-garbage with no words, simply because that’s what everyone else does. 
Sheeran’s recent journey of self-exploration and the search to be more present is highly relatable and is reflected in his music. When I listen to “Divide,” I feel happy, sad, homesick, at home and a sense of longing, all at once. 
I am a person who likes to listen to full a album in order, the way the artist intended me to hear it. Sheeran’s album makes me want to listen to it over and over again. I hear something, and I think, “Wow, that was different and totally not like the last song at all,” which is unique. 
I don’t mean to say that all other artists are garbage compared to Sheeran. I mean, there are plenty of good musicians in this world. However, Sheeran seems to be making a difference in the way we hear and interact with music. Since it is such a large part of our social lives, music can be an effective way to get a positive, unifying message across. 
About midway through the album, a track entitled “What Do I Know?” speaks to a world where music can change the thoughts and intentions of a society. Sheeran is not wrong: Music plays an important role, and as long as he’s in the business, I know I can count on at least one artist to keep my sanity — and my humanity — intact.
Myia Hambrick is a 21-year-old mass communication major from Temple, Georgia.