POP star Ed Sheeran has revealed a famous 20th-century composer from Worcester inspired his new album.

The singer's new album, named Autumn Variations, is inspired by Edward Elgar’s famed Enigma Variations.

Elgar’s famed Enigma Variations is 14 songs he wrote about his 14 friends, and Sheeran said his album will look into his 14 friendships and base it around autumn. 

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He said summer is a time when people are coming out of relationships and getting into new ones, and with that, it can be very lonely.

In a video published on Instagram, the star said: "I have an announcement.

"I have an album that I’ve made called Autumn Variations.

Malvern Gazette: Edward Elgar is from Lower Broadheath. Edward Elgar is from Lower Broadheath. (Image: National Trust)

“This is a record that I was sort of making at the same time as Subtract.

"It’s what me and Aaron [Dessner] went in originally to make.

"Elgar has this thing called the Enigma Variations, where he did 14 songs about 14 friends.

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“So I wanted to make 14 songs about 14 friends and base it on autumn. I find that autumn is a season with a lot of change.

"We come out of summer with people coming out of relationships and getting into relationships, being very lonely.

“I just found my friends and I were all going through different things in autumn, and I thought it would be an interesting subject to write about.”

Sir Edward Elgar is one of Britain’s best-known composers, whose works include the Pomp and Circumstance Marches and Enigma Variations.

He was born in the village of Lower Broadheath, near Worcester, in 1857 and spent much of his life living in Worcestershire.

The Firs, Edward Elgar’s birthplace at Lower Broadheath, has been transformed into a National Trust museum where visitors can see where the famous composer lived and spent most of his life.