A selection of western pop songs, including Ed Sheeran‘s ‘Shape of You’, have been banned in Indonesia’s West Java province after they were deemed to be pornographic.

West Java’s broadcasting commission has singled out 85 tracks, including 17 western pop songs, for containing adult content.

In a notice issued on Tuesday, the notoriously conservative province warned that the offending tracks should only be played or broadcast on air between the hours of 10pm and 3am.


As well as Sheeran’s inclusion on the list, both Ariana Grande’s ‘Love Me Harder’ and Bruno Mars’ ‘That’s What I Like’ have been called out for pornographic material.

“In this case, what is banned is not the songs, but the lyrics of the songs that contain pornography, pornographic association, and obscenity,” deputy commission head Rahmat Arifin told Tempo.co.

While the broadcasting company says that the offending list is a guideline and not a regulation, they have warned that radio and TV stations could be sanctioned for avoiding it.

It comes as Ed Sheeran prepares to hold a concert in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta on May 3.

Other western songs included on the list, which can be viewed in full below, include The Killers‘ Mr Brightside and Sigrid‘s ‘Plot Twist’.

Dusk Till Dawn

Sangria Wine

Mr. Brightside

Let Me

Love Me Harder

Plot Twist

Shape of You

OverdoseMakes Me Wonder

That’s What I Like

Fuck it, Don’t Want You Back

Bad Things

Versace On The Floor

Midsummer Madness

Wild Thoughts

Till it Hurts

Your Song


Meanwhile, Sheeran will return to the UK and Europe for a huge stadium tour this summer.