Ed Sheeran collaborating with Pokemon for a song is something we didn’t know we needed in our lives. Yet here we are. And what a time to be alive.
“Celestial” is the brand-new song from Ed. It has that typical Sheeran sound that we all know and love. The track is set to feature in the highly anticipated video games, Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet – launching on November 18 exclusively on the Nintendo Switch family of consoles. Fans are able to have an early listen of the song before the games are due to come out.
Teaming up with Pokemon has little Ed Sheeran bouncing off the walls. The singer was a massive fan of the franchise growing up and now, he is able to express that love through an all new music video that was released alongside the song. It’s a highly creative video that captures the imagination. Combining animation with live action, we see Ed live out a normal day in his life surrounded by some of his favourite Pokemon – Pikachu, Squirtle, Machamp, Snorlax and more. In the video was directed by by the award-winning Yuichi Kodama, with the help of Yu Nagaba who is a modern and contemporary artist. Yu’s sketch like animation was inspired by Ed’s doodles that Ed drew of his Pokémon as a child. It’s just…incredible, and definitely worth your time watching;
When talking about the collaboration, Ed Sheeran comments;
‘I’ve played Pokémon since I was in primary school’ commented Ed. ‘Me and my brother used to have different versions of the games and would trade Pokémon together ‘til we each completed our Pokédex. I loved the cards but the games are what I lost myself in. I loved the whole world they created; it kept me distracted if there was negative stuff happening in my life/school that I wanted to avoid. It was a world I could escape into and I’ve played it ever since. Even though I’m 31 now, I still own the same Game Boy Color and play Pokémon Yellow or Silver on planes and trains when I’m on tour. It’s such an honour to add a song into a Pokémon game and shoot a nostalgic video too. I hope you guys enjoy the song and video – it was a blast to film!’
Kenji Okubo, President of the Pokémon Company International, adds;
‘Working with a superstar like Ed has been a dream come true for us at Pokémon. We are all such big fans of his and, not only was he a joy to work alongside, his authentic love of everything Pokémon really shines through. Yuichi Kodama has done a fantastic job of capturing a feeling of pure childlike joy and sense of adventure within the video too. Both of their genuine adoration for Pokémon makes this a truly special collaboration and we can’t wait to see Pokémon fans and music fans singing along to Celestial. I hope everyone is also looking forward to enjoying the track later this year in the Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet games.’
“Celestial” is now available to stream via all major streaming platforms, so be sure to have a listen – especially if you’re a big Pokemon fan! Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet launch worldwide November 18, exclusively on the Nintendo Switch family of consoles. For more information, check out their official website.
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