VIDEO: Ed Sheeran Finds Love, Loss, and Whiskey as a Puppet in ‘Happier’

Ed Sheeran has released or been featured in a string of successful music videos over the past few months, including collaborations with the likes of Beyoncé, Eminem, and Taylor Swift. But all those may pale in comparison to his latest effort, which imagines the 27-year-old, Grammy-winning Stern Show guest as a puppet.

On Friday, Ed dropped the official video for “Happier,” an ironically titled heartbreaker off his latest album “÷.” Instead of appearing in the video himself, however, the clip stars a red headed, blue-eyed puppet version of Mr. Sheeran who spends the length of the track pining after an ex-lover made of balloons.

When Puppet Ed isn’t writhing around on the floor, agonizing over the balloon lady who got (or floated) away, the character spends much of his time pounding whiskey, strumming sad songs on the guitar, and even scaring children. Puppet Ed also appears to have a violent streak. In one scene, he sneaks up on his inflatable ex while she’s brunching with her new beau—who looks a bit like a Muppet that grew up to become an accountant—and he pounds the other puppet’s face into a croissant.

Of course, when Ed visited the Stern Show most recently last March, no one needed to pull his strings to get an incredible performance. In addition to sitting with Howard for a lengthy conversation about his life and his career, the pop star wowed listeners with an in-studio rendition of “Castle on the Hill” as well as several covers.

Check out the full interview here and watch Ed Sheeran’s official video for “Happier (above).