Ed Sheeran has teased that new music is on the way, saying he’s releasing a ‘Christmas present’ for fans on Monday morning. The singer-songwriter shared a picture of an abstract painting on Instagram, accompanied with the message: ’11am GMT tomorrow. A Christmas present.’

Fans have been on high alert since the musician sparked rumours of a comeback with a series of cryptic comments on social media. Now, it seems, his return is right around the corner.

It’s been a long time coming. Ed previously announced last August he was taking an 18-month break from music to spend time with his wife Cherry Seaborn and daughter Lyra.

He updated fans last Christmas eve too, telling them that he planned to ‘live a little more’ during his time away from music. It seems like he’s been using his time off wisely. Earlier this year, Ed donated an incredible £170,000 to his former school in Suffolk where he met Cherry. He also recently donated £10,000 to the hospital that took care of his grandmother in the final weeks of her life.

In August, Ed’s wife Cherry Seaborn gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Lyra Antarctica. He confirmed the news on Instagram, writing: ‘Last week, with the help of an amazing delivery team, Cherry gave birth to our beautiful and healthy daughter – Lyra Antarctica Seaborn Sheeran.