Ed Sheeran, Elton John and Keith Urban unite for Foy Vance's 'Guiding Light'
Ed Sheeran, Elton John and Keith Urban have united on Irish singer-songwriter Foy Vance's new version of "Guiding Light."
The trio joins Vance on the "Anniversary Edition" of the track that Vance originally released 10 years ago with Sheeran.
"Each of these artists brings a different element to this tune, and it has been my honor and privilege to sing with these incredible artists who have become much cherished friends of mine," Vance posted on Instagram.
"When I wrote Guiding Light I was feeling lost in my life due to a loss of family, friendships and reason," he said in a statement about the meaning of the track. "The music lit up the darkness. Melody reminded me to keep going no matter how long the road or how pointless it seemed."
He added, "Guiding Light is the person or the thing that brings you back to a safe space, somewhere to lick your wounds and convalesce. To see this song resonate with so many people over the years has truly been a beautiful thing."
The music video, released Thursday, stars actress AnnaSophia Robb.
"It's the most beautiful song," John said in a statement. "When Foy asked me to do it, it was a no brainer for me because I'm such a huge fan of his."
Urban shared in a statement that "Guiding Light" is one of his "all-time favorite songs" and explained that he loves it because "it captures all of the beauty and the struggle and everything that it is to be a spiritual being having a human experience."
Sheeran penned a message to his own account about the special meaning behind the collaboration.
"This is gonna be my final thing I release for a while, certainly my final collab for a very long time it's time to knuckle down into the next big album mode," he wrote. "But what a fitting way, by stopping with one of my favorite artists of all time."
Sheeran went on to say that he's been a fan of Vance's since he was a teenager and used to go see Vance in concert. At that time Vance would end his shows with a song called "Guiding Light," which he never recorded or released, according to Sheeran.
Years later, Vance toured with Sheeran and co-wrote songs for his "Multiply" album. Vance said he'd record "Guiding Light," which was Sheeran's favorite, if he'd sing it with him.
"So 10 years on he's done a new version, this time with @eltonjohn, @keithurban and myself. It's beautiful," Sheeran wrote. "The amazing Johnny McDaid produced it, and I hope you love it ... see you sometime next year when we press Play again on pop, and have a good holiday season."
