Ed Sheeran announced the new song a day before it was released. "11am GMT tomorrow. A Christmas present," he captioned a December 2020 Instagram post showing the artwork for "Afterglow." On the release day, Sheeran shared a clip from the performance letting fans know it was just a song he wanted to share and not a part of a new album. "Afterglow is a song I wrote last year that I wanted to release for you," he shared in the caption. "It's not the first single from the next album, it's just a song I love, and hope you love too."

The track came three months after Sheeran and his wife, Cherry Seaborn, welcomed their daughter, Lyra Antarctica Seaborn Sheeran, into the world. Fans think this is the special moment that Ed is singing about, as noted by HITC. "We were love drunk, waiting on a miracle / Trying to find ourselves in the winter snow / So alone in love like the world had disappeared / I won't be silent and let go," Ed croons away in the song's lyrics. The nods to "waiting on a miracle" left many fans under the impression the British musician was singing about his baby girl. The "winter slow" line was also believed to be in reference to her middle name, Antarctica, where many fans think she was conceived. Though Ed has not confirmed or denied the speculation, his fans are just happy he gave them some new music to take with them into the new year.

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