Call Her Daddy - Ed Sheeran: You Either Love Me or Hate Me

Episode Date: April 9, 2025

Join Alex in the studio for an interview with Ed Sheeran. Ed opens up about his early insecurities and why he thinks people have such strong opinions about him. He also reveals his most embarrassing night out, why he built a pub in his backyard, what some of his most unhinged lyrics mean, and the unexpected item he’s always willing to splurge on. Enjoy!

What is up, daddy gang? It is your founding father, Alex Cooper with Call Her Daddy. Ed Sheeran, welcome to Call Her Daddy. Hey. Okay, wait. I was going to ask you, a musician never is sitting in the seat at 9am. Like, I've never had a musician. Really? Is that the coffee? There we go. Bring in the coffee. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.

I'm honestly an early riser. Like I'm an early riser and an early bed timer, but I'd have two very young girls at home. So like I'm up at 5.30 every morning. Oh my God. Yeah, I was up at about 6.30 this morning. And what time did you go to bed? 3.30.

Oh wow. So you could get like, do you get a little like loopy? Like, are you going to get like weird funny? Are you going to like fall asleep on me? Honestly, I have no idea where my body is at the moment. We've been in India, China, and then just it and then UK for a bit and then now in America. So I'm my body is all over the shop. Wait, you were in Boston? We're in Boston last night. Yeah. That is one of my favorite places ever. I went to college there. So Boston to me is like Boston University. Amazing. I spent many nights on bar floors and club floors. And where are you originally from? Pennsylvania. Amazing. And then I went to school in Boston and

I remember being in Boston and be like, this is the greatest fucking place. These bars are epic. The people are epic. Like everyone just goes so fucking hard. It definitely feels European. It definitely has like a vibe about it that every time I've gone to Boston, like it's always been the first place for me, like the first biggest theater I played and the first arena I played here and then the first stadium and it's always been, but I guess there's something to do with the Irish heritage, I guess. But yeah, I love Boston. Last night was fun. We did, it was obviously St. Patrick's Day. And I flew the folk band that played with me on Galway Girl,

I flew them over and they learned all my songs and we basically did a trad jam of, it was like a set, but it was like with an Irish trad band. And was that where you were like running on top of the bar singing? No, that was in Nashville. That was in Nashville. Oh, you've been like getting after it.

Yeah, I've been around. I kind of, this whole entering into this album campaign, I was just like, I don't wanna do anything that I've done before. And for me, all of that sort of stuff is so fun. Like way more fun than like organizing a like proper gig that's ticketed and blah, blah, blah. If you just turn up somewhere and play, you still play the gig, but it's just

chaotic and fun. That's fun though that you're at a place in your career where you're even interested in doing those type of things because I feel like the bigger people get they're like, no, I don't need to go do random shit like that. Oh no, it's the that's I feel like that's when you actually connect with people. I think I find it so fun. I like the balance of having you actually connect with people? I think I find it so fun. I like the balance of having all of it. Like even when I was on tour in the States last time, but I was doing a theater on a Friday and then a stadium on a Saturday and I loved the juxtaposition of the two. And I think being a performer, no matter what you do in life, if you do the same thing all the time, eventually it's going to get tiresome. Even if it's playing a stadium show the whole

time, which is obviously like a really, really amazing thing to do. But when people, I talked to people about it and they ask about doing these pop-up shows to 2030 people, I'm like, you wouldn't eat a burger, breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day. So it's nice having. Little mix up. We're switching up. I love it. Yeah. When it comes to beauty and fragrance, I am all about the fearless, unapologetic vibes, and that is exactly what you get in YSL's newest fragrance, Leblonu. Leblonu is a citrus floral masterpiece, alcohol-free, and

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Okay. Rodeos. Yeah, I'm down. I like do you know what I like is is culture and I feel like a rodeo is is culture. I like going to countries and feeling like that's what I lived in. I lived in Nashville for a couple of years. I lived in New York for a year. I've lived in LA like on and off and doing things that are so specifically American. If that makes sense, like you go to whenever I travel the

world, I'll try and do things that feel cultural. And I feel like going to a baseball game and having a hot dog field for me as a Brit, I'm like, this feels American. I think like a rodeo is that for me, like getting into the swing of that would be fun., I'm like, this feels American. I think like a rodeo is that for me. Like getting into the swing of that would be fun. Like I would love, I spoke to my promoter and I was like, do they do tours of rodeos? Cause I'd love to just tour rodeos. Even if it's like for four weeks, just do it.

Okay, you living in Nashville at that time or anytime have you ever considered doing a country album? I think there's yeah I guess so but I the from living in Nashville you can't just like dip your toe in if I'm gonna do it I have to do it and then that's it. Do you have like a good twang like could you pull it off? I feel because my heritage is is sort of Anglo-Irish and I grew up with trad music in my household. I think it would have to be a little twinge of that. I think I'd have to bring Irish trad music into country because it's all kind of the same instruments anyway. But yeah, so I wouldn't have a twang.

But I've made country songs in the past. They've just never come out. I feel like I have to do it properly. And I think when you transition to country, you can't transition back. Once you're there, you're there. So maybe you'll do it like your later phase of life. Nashville is like my favorite city in the States. And I would, yeah. It's always been like my end goal would be like,

I'm gonna move to Nashville and transition to country. But yeah, I think you just have to do it properly. It's like a, it's a genre you have to really respect. And it's not just a dip do it properly. It's like a, it's a genre you have to really respect and it's not just a dipping and out. I get it. Okay, the Super Bowl. I like it.

Have you ever been asked to do the Super Bowl? There was a conversation about 10 years ago to go on with someone. And I think that'd be the only way that I would do it at the moment. I don't think I've had this conversation before. I don't think, I've had this conversation before, I don't think English artists are like, I mean there are some that have the pizzazz of super bowl, fireworks, dances, blah blah blah, but me going up there and being like, here's the A-Team and here's Perfect,

I just, like no one wants to see that. Whereas if there was a show with a lot of that, like say like if it was Beyonce's show and she had all the kind of bells and whistles and then there was a moment where we sung perfect together, that makes sense to me, but me, I don't know, I can't picture myself doing it. Can you picture me doing it? As you're talking, I'm trying to picture it. Yeah.

What if it's like a spotlight and- For 15 minutes, you know? I would definitely go on and do it with with someone I think I think yeah just to do the Super Bowl but I don't think my set lends itself to that I don't know I just you know like you got horses for courses you got to do what like add you don't get it twisted I really appreciate the self-awareness like most people would be like call me whenever and put me in you're like, you know I don't know if I've got that side of the things where I'm like going out and outfit changes

I think I could nail one song. I think I could if someone brings me on I think I could do it really well for one song, but I can't Just my the the catalog that I have doesn't really lend itself. Have you seen me play as well? Cause it's with a loop pedal and you have to build the things. It doesn't really lend itself to the Superbowl. Hey, hang on guys. I just got to set this up for two minutes. You know, it doesn't really. And also like you saying like, and I come out and I'm singing like eight team, like everyone just starts sobbing in the audience and it's like getting in their feels and then they're like. Yeah, well they're just going to get a beer. This is so comfy here by the way.

Isn't this cozy? So comfy. I wanted you to feel like you can really, you could take off your shoes. You don't have to take off your shoes, but some people take off their shoes. They're very clean. Okay, don't take off your shoes.

Keep your shoes on. Ranch dressing. I got really into ranch dressing when I lived in Nashville. And then I got really fat. So I've kind of like eased off the ranch dressing a bit. I'm more of a like balsamic vinegar boy. Sorry, what? Yeah. A bell salmon? Balsamic vinegar? You've never had that? Oh,

balsamic. Oh, right. Yeah. I have this in restaurants where I say water and they're like, what? Oh, water. Water. Wait, say balsamic. Balsamic. Oh my God. I thought you said a Balsamic? Balsamic. Oh my God, I thought you said a... A Balsamic. No, I thought you said a Balsac. No, I thought you said a Balsammon. Then, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Okay, so you're into your Balsamic vinaigrette. Yeah. Oh, healthy budget. You know, we have a cider where I'm from in Suffolk that's like, it's like the number one cider in the UK and it's called Aspils. And I was saying that to a friend, and he was like, y'all have a cider called Aspals?

You never see it. It does sound like that. What is it? Aspals, it's like, well, it's a cider. It's like, oh, you guys would call it hard cider. What is your favorite thing to eat when you're here? Chicken wings. But the chicken wings are like the size of my fist. And when you see the chicken wings in England, they're like, you know here? Chicken wings. But the chicken wings are like the size of my fist.

And when you see the chicken wings in England, they're like, you know, actual chicken wings. They're quite like meager and you know, but here it's like you're literally eating steroids. They're pumping them with all that shit. And then we're like eating it and act like nothing's wrong. Chicken wings. Okay. The best American fast food chain in your opinion five guys I think everywhere around around the world, but I'd say when I'm in America, what a burger in Texas I think that that burger bangs the most in terms of all the burgers that I've had what what a burger bangs But if there's it's an American fast food chain around the world I'd usually go five guys. Oh fuck with KFC as well man.

I really like KFC. Yeah. Wait, have you had In-N-Out? Yes, I've had In-N-Out. I do like In-N-Out, but I feel like there needs to be a wide lens view on a fast food restaurant and I don't think In-N-Out chips bang. Sorry, they're fries. I don't think they bang. Whereas KFC actually do the best fries. KFC fries bang. What? They bang. You don't think so? I've never had their fries.

Oh yeah, yeah. I need to go try. And I think this is about Burger King as well because I've never really been keen on Burger King's burgers but their fries are always good. Oh, their fries are so fucking good. But yeah, KFC fries, bucket, I actually made both kids

the night before we stayed at my manager's house and both my children the night before we had a big family bucket. That was like our initiator. Big family bucket and a bottle of Dominus, you know, Dominus red wine from Napa. Yeah. A really nice wine with a family bucket. That is like so high low. You're like eating KFC and then you're like drinking your nice wine.

You're like, this is life. Okay. How do we feel about Disneyland? My kids like Disney. We went to Disneyland. They weren't like they just weren't fucking with it and it was sort of like I wanted to sort of see them go wow but they were just sort of like I don't know yeah. I think it's there is no one that's like that was fine it's either like uh or I'm getting married there. Yeah, yeah. I think it's, there is no one that's like, that was fine. It's either like, ugh, or I'm getting married there. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which I think is great. I think it's great.

I think, like, I find anything in life, it has to be those extremities. That's what I feel about my music is I either have people that really hate me or really love me. There's no kind of like passive, eh, yes, and I think that middle bit is what you have to avoid that like, yes, it's all right. Like you have to be like fanatical about something or like I don't like that thing.

So you would rather someone be like, fuck Ed Sheeran rather than be like, he's all right. Yeah, that's been my entire career. And that's how you have a fan base is people really ride for you or they really fucking want to take you down. Why do you think people don't like you? I don't know. I think that sometimes overexposure goes into it, like songs being on the radio

too much, I think also I don't like necessarily fit the social norm of what a pop star should like look like or act like. And I don't know if that like rubs people up the wrong way that, um, that I do look like their brother who works at a pizza shop. I feel like people are like why like why has that happened um and maybe that annoys them and then you pair that with the overexposure and... Has anyone ever in the beginning days of your career tried to convince you like wait let's dress like this and cut your hair like this and do this? Totally, yeah. And I think you kind of, I've sort of like slipped into that as well, especially like because of the era that I came up in was, you know, Justin Bieber was massive,

One Direction were massive. And I think there was always part of me that goes, should I, should I look like that? What would that have looked like? What would we have done? I don't look like that as a like, it's like dressing a mannequin that just doesn't need to be dressed like that, you know? So I feel like I always have to stay true to like who I am. And also my fan base from the beginning started out kind of mistfifty like me and my gigs were just full of people that you know it was like ripped jeans, baggy, you know, converse, big shirts, uh, rather than we're getting clammed up to go out to

the gig. It might like have segued into that now that the gigs are bigger and people have got older but I found being a misfit I attracted misfits. Yes, I do remember the like Tumblr era photos of you and those were cool. I liked that side but then I get what you're saying like I couldn't have seen you in like a purple leather get-up with like a backwards hat and yeah yeah yeah I think it's good that you stayed. Maybe when I'm up maybe the Super Bowl maybe that's when I debut it. Oh my god you're gonna come out at the Super Bowl you're gonna have a full leather get-up and then the year after you're gonna come out at the Super Bowl, you're gonna have a full leather getup, and then the year after, you're gonna go right

to country music and you're gonna wear a cowboy hat for the rest of your career. And actually, leather trousers, you could reuse them on both. Because being a cowboy, you gotta have some leather there. Do you own any leather trousers? Yes, yeah, because I dressed up as Edward Scissorhands. I do a Christmas party every year with my best friends. I dressed up as Edward Scissorhands. I did a Christmas party every year with my best friends.

I dressed up as Edward Scissorhands, so I was like full leather. How did that go? I had to take off the jacket after about 10 minutes, because I was like, I am hot. And bear in mind, this is December in England when it's freezing and I was still roasting. Oh, interesting.

Leather trousers aren't, I don't fuck with them. Okay, can we talk about your home in England? Oh, interesting. Leather trousers aren't... I don't fuck with them. Okay. Can we talk about your home in England? You built a pub in your garden. Explain how, why, what was the inspiration? I think there was a local pub that I would always go to and I still do go to it, but you can never really let loose the way that you used to be able to as in my teenage years.

You go to a pub to blow off steam and I think it sort of turned into everyone always knew that I went to this place. So I don't know, you could never really get to the point where you're actually blowing off steam and proper drunk because you have to kind of keep an eye out on anything. Anything could happen. So there was a dilapidated barn on my land. So I was like, we could just turn it into a pub. So I bought an old pub off eBay, like the kind of the counter and the whatever. Off of eBay? It was on eBay. Yeah, it's on eBay. It was just an old pub that had sort of taken the

sort of shelving and counter and stuff. and then I got all the plumbing, wiring. I don't even know the pipes put in, uh, and it's sort of like, it's a room for memorabilia. I think Jerry was like, eventually there was so much shit in the house that actually just having it all in one place, like even just like meeting this. Football player and having a shirt signed and having it on the wall, like it's better having it there than in the bedroom. Absolutely, she's like, take all of your shit

and put it in the box. It's basically, I have, cause there's like a tunnel to it. And in the tunnel, there's like, I built like a listening room and there's a cinema. And that's kind of my, I'd say it's less of like a man cave and more of a man catacombs. I love that for you.

Jerry's like, go and be gone and like do your thing. Cause I collect movie props too. So I've got like all of that there. What is your favorite movie prop that you have? I'm a huge hook fan. So I bought Robin Williams's pan costume and Rufio sword. And then Julia Roberts's Tinkerbell costume so probably those two. How much? Above six figures. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no and for my birthday instead like it's like the thing that I look forward to

I think all year what am I gonna get? There's always a movie prop auction around that time. And yeah, I choose one thing and Is there anything out there that you're like I've got my eye on this Yeah, cuz the auctions coming up I'm trying to get the George Clooney Batman costume Because everyone doesn't like the Batman and Robin film, but that was my first Batman film that I saw. So I have a real like draw to that movie. I bought the Alicia Silverstone Batwoman costume from that. So it would be like a matching. Wait, so are you going to these auctions?

It's online. It's online. You're like an eBay guy, huh? Yeah, but I spend a lot of time in hotel rooms. My main hobby outside of music is movies. That's like the only, I do music, and when I'm not doing music, because it's shows and studio,

and I do that pretty much like 95% of the time when I'm not doing home family stuff. And then if I've got spare moments, I watch movies. So those are like my two passions. What are your top three movies? Goodfellas, Cool Runnings. And this will be like, I don't know if everyone would see this, but I watched to watch every single year.

I think Love Actually is a masterpiece. Every single year I watch that and every single year I'm not tired of it. And those three films I could watch any time, any place. Goodfellas, I'm reading Goodfellas again at the moment. That movie just, I I'm not tired of it. And those three films I could watch anytime, anyplace. I'm reading Goodfellas again at the moment. That movie just, I can't ever tire of it. Cool Runnings, I can't ever tire of it. I've never seen Cool Runnings.

Oh, Cool Runnings is a phenomenal film. It's really, really worth watching. It's kind of humorous, heartwarming. It's not like the Hollywood ending where, I'm not gonna ruin it for you, but it's like, it's a really, really perfect movie. Now I gotta watch it. No spoilers.

Okay, so we're going for the Batman costume. Yeah, I'm glad this isn't gonna come out within the next two weeks, is it? Oh, cause you wanna make sure you get it? I wanna make sure I get it, yeah. Can you give me a ballpark of how much you're willing to spend? Well, I would go up to six figures for it, I think.

Ed. That's like history though. It's history. It's like, you know, someone bought the red slippers, Dorothy's red slippers, but they spent like, I think they spent like 25 mil on them. Do you wish you had gotten those? I have never seen The Wizard of Oz. Yeah, it's on my list, but as soon as I had kids, there were certain films that I was

planning on seeing. I was like, I'll just wait to watch them with my kids. had kids, there were certain films that I was planning on seeing. I was like, I'll just wait to watch them with my kids. But yeah, I've never seen The Wizard of Oz. Yeah, get ready. It's a great one, but look at you. You're like ashamed. I'm kind of ashamed about it, yeah. You're allowed to say it.

No one can come for you. You are a movie person. You've been busy. You're watching other things that hasn't been top priority. Does your pub have a name? Yeah, it's called the Lancaster Look. It's basically my mom's maiden name and my wife's mom's maiden name because they both... Yeah, I think I wanted to sort of immortalize their maiden names. I feel like even more getting married and having daughters, it's sort of like,

I want to preserve... It's kind of weird, like the old tradition of taking names away and having daughters, it's sort of like, I wanna preserve, it's kind of weird, like the old tradition of taking names away and having names there. You know, our daughters have both of our last names and I sort of wanted to preserve my mom's maiden name and my wife's mom's maiden name in something that was permanent. That is the, like for women around the world listening, everyone seemed like, yeah, he's a really great guy.

Because do you know how many men and their like toxic masculinity can't handle the concept of like, what do you mean you're not gonna take my last name or what do you mean you're not? That's how I grew up though. Yeah. That's the only thing that I knew. Like my mom had my dad's name and, you know,

I come from a very large Irish Catholic family. Sheeran was the name. And I think it wasn't until getting married and having daughters where your perception of it shifts. I think you have to like, you can't just be born and just believe things. You have to kind of experience and be brought over. And now I very, very much believe that that should be the case that you should obviously keep both identities when you have children. Yeah.

No, I think that's beautiful. Sorry, I'm obsessed with this pub idea. Can you explain to me how many people, like, are you throwing ragers in this thing? Yeah. Yeah, but I think if you're throwing a rager, it should be like five people. I think that's like, or like 12. Five to 12 people is a really good night. I do, we built a chapel on our land

and we do like Christmas carols there. And then after the Christmas carols, everyone comes in for like mulled wine and mince pies and stuff. That's like, we can hold 40 or 50 people, but it's like a crammed space in that. Wait, you're not singing Christmas carols all year round, just you're talking about- At Christmas, yeah. Okay, I know you're not singing Christmas carols all year round, just you're talking about

at Christmas. Yeah. Okay. I know you're gonna say no every week we're doing Christmas or are you? No, we do. I know it sounds weird to like sort of build an infrastructure on your property where you don't have to leave it, but I feel like so much that I want there's certain moments you just want to spend with your family and not have someone filming you while you're doing it, especially like whether it's something like that at Christmas or whether it's a memorial or there's just certain like intimate moments you want to have like that. I don't think it sounds weird at all. I actually it's refreshing to hear you're like in a beautiful way, not that you can't complain about it, but you're like, I'm just gonna take matters

into my own hands and I now have the resources and the funds that I'm gonna like build this thing so that I can like go to my pub and I can go to the chapel. But I let other people enjoy, like my security guard got married in my chapel and that was like really lovely, really, really lovely. So the chapel is like, it's there.

Yeah, like sign up if you wanna get married. And we'll let you come by. Which celebrity would you like to invite to the garden pub? I had a glimpse of what a night with Post Malone would be like with, we hung out in New York at Global Citizen Festival. I actually bought him a, I found this company that do the huge vinyl dinosaurs that you get at zoos, you know, the ones that like the size of buildings. So I've sent him

a T-Rex because we were sort of joking about it. And he was just like, yeah, yeah, send me one whenever I live here and, and it's done and it's going to arrive and he's going to get this fucking huge T-Rex that is just going to, and I've only met him once. So he's just going to be like, what the fuck? But I feel like because I hung out with him for that amount of time and I can sense the kind of person he is, I think he's gonna appreciate it.

But I think he would be the hang, I'd want a couple of days hang with him. No, Post Malone is like one of those people that when you're in a room with him, even if you're in a room with him for like a couple minutes, you're immediately like, I need 19 more hours with you. This isn't enough. He's a really sweet guy, really sweet guy.

He is, he is. What is the most embarrassing thing you can recall of just like a drunken night, whether you're with your friends or you're out or- I've never said this publicly, but I'm gonna say it. I was playing a city in Europe. This is like 2018, 2019. And my best mate was out with his mom and his sister. And we sort of started drinking espresso, not espresso,

what are they called? Cafe Patron? Oh yeah. And then I went to bed and I got up in the middle of the night to have a pee and I was sleeping naked. And I walked out to have a pee. And then I hear a door close and I was sleeping naked and I walked out to have a pee and then I hear a door close and I open my eyes and I'm in the corridor naked, no key, it's like 4am and I'm like oh my god what am I going to do and I'm kind of looking around and as I look around it's like CCTV, CCTV and I'm like ooh this is not good. And, uh, there was like room service. Someone had had room service and I went to go and get the, uh, napkin

and I put the napkin on, clicked, uh, the lift went down to the lobby. Bear in mind, it's like 4 AM. There's like people working in the hotel. And I'll just kind of walk with this thing. And I was like, please get me back in my room and please, can you not tell anyone about this and my security guard went to go and wipe all the, um, CCC. Well, he told me he wiped it. He might have kept it for blackmail

later on down the line, but yeah. I think that's the most embarrassing thing that I've ever done. What was the reaction of the people standing at the front desk? It was very much sort of like, you could see their eyes widen and be like, you're at me going, please, just don't ask.

Don't tell anyone. The thought of also like you walking down and 4 a.m. those people are probably like so not paying attention to what's going on. They're like half asleep and then just like Ed Sheeran walks into the lobby naked. Holding a napkin, yeah, yeah. Did you wake up in the morning

and like fully comprehend what you did? Or did you go back to bed easily? I went back to bed, yeah, because I was like, nothing's going to change the fact that that just happened. I messaged my security guard and I was like, please, can you wipe the footage? It's so real. Yeah, I was sort of like, nothing's going to change. And also, it's a very human mistake to happen.

Oh, yeah, for sure, for sure. So casual. Everyone's done that, right? No. Everyone could do that, though. True. Very true. Everyone could do that though. True, very true. Everyone could do that. I definitely, I then bought pajamas

and I started sleeping in pajamas. Every time you're on the road, you're like put something on my body, just go off for a bit. Well, I don't, you know what? I'm sober at the moment, so that's definitely like helping the not doing stupid shit.

How is that going? Good, I just, you know, I saw the schedule for this year of album release and I was like, cause I'm basically I'm flying all around the world and then flying home and being dad as well. And I'm like, I don't want to, I don't want to then add on an extra layer of tiredness on that. So I'm just going to not drink and be very focused and energized, I guess. That's amazing. I feel like that is a I guess. That's amazing. I feel like that is a underrated thing

that when you're going so hard with work, that you think that you need like a drink at the end of the night to relax you. But then I've been feeling it recently where I'm like, I just wake up feeling like fucking shit. Like there's gotta be a different way to relax. So I get in and I'll put on a movie and actually that sort of does the job

because you kind of relax into the movie and then by the end of it You can just go to sleep rather than being because I also find when you drink you never really have a proper sleep Anyway, because there's so much sugar in your body I have the worst sleeps and even if you have like one drink it still is affecting you. Okay, maybe Maybe that's in my future. We'll see. I'm not gonna be sober for forever But I've definitely changed my relationship with alcohol because I used to drink every single day. Every single day.

Not like, I'm not a spirits guy and I'm not really, I kind of do beer a little bit, but I'm more of like a wine guy at the end of the day. But now I'm not doing that. Meanwhile, I have to date night once a week and I feel like that will be the time when I do start drinking to, we'll do a bottle of wine together that night rather than like every single night having to have something. I love that for you. I do want to know what do you think is the biggest like misconception about you?

I don't really know because I feel like all the all the misconceptions that are about me people don't that they're people that don't know me. So I think that there's lots of things flying about the internet. There's like rumors that also like really gather steam because I think that people want to believe them. There's all these things that like come out and unless I actually come out and go these things didn't actually happen people just run with it because I think they like, people love negative stories like that and yeah I think that there's just I think being in the public eye there's just always always a lot of misconceptions about you but I think that there's just,

I think being in the public eye, there's just always a lot of misconceptions about you, but I think unless someone actually knows me as a person, they can't pass judgment on who I am. Do you think you handle being in the public eye well? This has been my life since I was 19, so I think that the first five years, six years in my life, no, I really didn't, and I really struggled with it.

Relationships wise, not just romantic but just relationships in my life, friendships, family, everything like it, just everything shifted and I know people go, you know, when someone becomes famous they change, they dis, but genuinely I didn't for the first three years. I was exactly the same person and everyone around me changed just in their way of treating me or acting or talking or like leaking things or doing this or doing this. And then you start changing and you become a paranoid fucker and then it all starts sort of like shifting.

So I think at the beginning, it's that transitional period where you're just trying to work out who you are and whether I am my stage name and that's me the whole time and I'm pop star and I'm this or whether there's like two human beings and I can be a son to my mum without having to be a pop star or like a husband without having to be a pop star and then sort of like separating the two. And I think over the last, since COVID really, being at home and separating the two and knowing that it's quite, it's a really, really fun job to dip into. You know, it's really fun. It's really fun to be a pop star for the night and go to the Grammys and sort of be like,

wow, look at everyone. But then it's important to be able to go home and be like a regular human being. And I think that's why I don't live in Los Angeles, because I don't think I'd ever switch off. I think I'd always just be pop star. I think that makes sense. I think it's healthy for you to have like a good balance. Like you're talking about being like, I can go work nine to three, and then I go home and I'm like with my daughters and my wife, and I'm having like a pretty normal life. And then I'm going to the pub in my backyard, and then we're going to the lake, and then we'm going to the pub in my backyard and then we're going to the lake and then we're going to the chapel and it was a full day and it was like, but

I think you have to create that world for yourself because you're right, if you do just keep working, then you are just like Ed Sheeran where people are thinking you're just like this pop star and you're mega famous and you're so rich and then it gets to people's heads and it's like you need to have some semblance of normalcy. And honestly, Cherry is the biggest grounding force. Like anytime that anything is a little bit like, a little bit too Hollywood, she's like, bro, come on.

And it's really, and especially because I grew up with her, there's always just a lens of Suffolk over it, of just like, come on man. Like I tried to build a bowling alley in our backyard and she was just like, come on man. Like I tried to build a bowling alley in our backyard and she was just like, come on man, you don't need that. She's like, the chapel and the pub are enough. Are you good at bowling? Not really. Do you like bowling? Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Everyone likes bowling. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think I'll become good at bowling. I think as long as it's not on the property, I think she's, she's, I think she just wants to,

she doesn't want our kids growing up and it being like, you know, the Richie Rich house where there's literally McDonald's in them. Have you seen Richie Rich? Yes, but like so long ago. Classic, Macaulay Culkin. You should do something with like movies. I didn't realize you were this into movies.

I mean, I've got a letterboxed. What? No one knows I have a letterboxed, but I do have a letterboxed. Wait. Explain? Well, I just review movies online for myself, just to log them, just to see what I've watched. I have no followers on it.

Like, it's literally, I've just logged the films I watch. Ed, wait, what? No one reads it, though. It's just for me to, like, log it. Wait, why wouldn't you let it be public? It is public. But no one reads it though. It's just for me to like log it. Wait, why wouldn't you let it be public? It is public. But no one knows it's you. What's your username?

I guess they'll find out now. I think it's more fun for people to find it. People, I watched Gladiator 2 and there's a character in it who's like the really crazy emperor that has syphilis. Oh my God, yes. Apparently based on me. So that is my profile picture. Is that is that Emperor? We what I saw an interview with him where he's like Ridley Scott

based his character on me. I don't know if I'm offenders, you know, or very complimented. Thank you very much. Right. Where was my call? Because as a movie go or you're like, oh my God, like they're basing something on me. But then that character is like,

Character was pretty, yeah, obscene. Kind of fucking crazy. Okay, wait, would your username, would we be able to find you? Yeah. What is it like Ed Sheeran? No, it's like, it's similar to my Instagram. It's like Teddy. I think maybe it's Ted's.

It's Ted or Teddy something. Oh, I'm going to look it up. Start Googling. What is something embarrassing that you used to care about like growing up when you were younger or in your like early teens that you don't really care about anymore? I think it would be like the older that I've got

in the music industry, I think that the first like five years of my career, everything worked and went well. And then the first song that didn't work or flopped, that was a real learning curve for me. And I think the older I get, the more I'm like, those moments are going to happen. But it's about the overall catalog that you're building. And I think my rule has just always been make music that I can stand behind.

Sometimes it will work and sometimes it won't, but as long as I like it, that's kind of all that matters. And yeah, I think I used to be quite embarrassed about that when I was like 24, 25. Because obviously like it's never fun putting a load of work into something and then you put it out there on the line and you're like, this has to work. And then when it doesn't, I think at the time there was a transitional period of me living with that. And now I think that I... It's kind of like what I'm saying about these pop-ups and stuff like that. My rule for everything now is I just have to really enjoy it and then the success or not success

kind of comes secondary to that. I think that's beautiful because I feel like also as a creative, you have to know that sometimes you don't need extreme success to enjoy what you're doing because sometimes as long as you actually really believed in it. Well, that's the whole point. That's why we get into really believed in it. Well that's the whole point that's why we get into it isn't it that's the whole that's the whole point of it and I think that also it's about like realistic expectations I think that my second and third record and

first to a point but second and third record was so big that it's you know aiming for that every single time is just not realistic. And they both happened kind of by accident. It just clicked. And so it's just something will click, something won't click, something will click. Like there's so many songs in my career that I didn't expect to do well, that ended up becoming massive over time. That it's again, just make shit you like, put it out.

You have to give it the best opportunity as well. You have to work every single song the same as you worked all the other songs and it's under thought the rest follows. What is the song that surprised you the most that popped off that you're like, what the actual fuck? I put out a song called Afterglow that charted at like 92.

And it was the first time anything that I put out within that 10 year period had charted outside the top 10 and I remember being like, oh my god. And then over time it climbed to number two and ended up having almost half a billion streams now but it's such a learning curve of just like sometimes you just gotta let things sit and then they find their audience. And I close my set with that now. It's like a really important song within my set list. But I remember that week being like, oh my God. Why? Because did you not love it as much when you? No, I loved it. It's just like going, when I just saw it go in at 92, I was like, oh,

maybe I'm wrong. That's a nice feeling though, right? Yeah, definitely. Let's talk about your tattoos. Do you have any, like, what do you think of all of your tattoos? What has the best story behind it for you? They've all got stories really. I think my left arm is my first five years of my career. My right arm is kind of the next five years.

And then I got my chest and back done. And my back is kind of the most recent one. I like my, I got my kids' kids footprints the week that they were born. So I quite like that because they're tiny. And obviously they're a lot bigger now. My legs have actually started being my kids' drawing books. My daughter's just done a little bunny rabbit for my leg and you can put the date of it.

It's quite nice seeing it. Wait, does she come up to you and be like, dad, get this as a tattoo? Are you going and come up to you and be like dad get this as a tattoo Are you like going and looking at their drawings and be like genius and going sort of that? Yeah, so that now she's like she'll draw something and be like get it as a tattoo But yeah, I think I'm gonna get one each for each of them every year Is there ever a tattoo you've wanted to remove? I think if I was to remove one I'd remove all of them I think that I kind of believe that about tattoos is you're either a tattoo person or wanted to remove? I think if I was to remove one, I'd remove all of them. I think that I kind of believe that about tattoos

is you're either a tattoo person or you're not. And I, yeah, I think if I was gonna remove, I'd go completely nothing or, because I kind of see it as one tattoo. It's like one long story. Beautiful. Okay, you and Taylor Swift have been friends for decades. I'm a big Swiftie.

What has been your favorite memory together? That's a good one. Do you know what? I was in these court cases for like two years. Well, I mean, a lot longer than two years, but there was one each year and I had to go through all my old devices to give them voice notes and blah, blah, blah for the lawyers to have. And going through all my old texts with people that I've known for that long, it was really like nostalgic going through. And I think that the period of time that I was on the Red Tour would have been, you know, I lived in Nashville and she lived in Nashville and we used to fly to and from the gigs together and do all sort of, I don't know, I literally spent almost

every single day with her for about six months. So I think that period of time. And I do, you know, I see her when I see her, I probably see her like four times a year. And we do what I said, like, instead of catching up the whole time, we have like proper sit down, six hour catch ups. And I think that that's like a really nice way to do it. But I think that period, yeah, 2013. It's beautiful. Okay, which of your love songs is your wife's favorite? Oh, it's actually track 13.

It's the last track on this new record and it wasn't, it was meant to be a 12 track album. And there was this song that from the beginning of writing it, she was obsessed with and she kept being like, is it on their album? Is it on the album? And I was just like, I played it to lots of people and it didn't have the same reaction as everything else. And in the end, I just gifted it to her and I just went, I'm just going to put this on just for you and you can name it what you want to name it. And like, yeah, so that I think is her favorite and yeah, it just exists because of her basically.

Wait, that's so sweet. Wow, that's so nice to just be like, yeah, I told my husband to put it on. So it's just for me. It came from, I spent a bit of time working with Bono from U2 and he gifted the song called, you know, the sweetest thing? Oh, the sweetest thing.

He gifted that to his wife. He missed, I think he forgot her birthday. And then he wrote a song for her and then just said, you can just have this song. And like all the proceeds go to like a charity of her choice and stuff. And so I had heard that story hanging out with him and his wife and I came home and told Cherry that.

And yeah, I think it kind of was born out of that. That is beautiful. You have obviously written so many songs for huge artists. Is there any song that you wish you had kept for yourself? No, because I think that they all have their own space and stories. And I do honestly believe that like a song like Little Things for One Direction does not exist in the same way if I sing it that they sing it. I think it came at like a pivotal point of their career and was what it was and I think same thing for like I don't know love yourself with Justin I think it came at it came after

what do you mean sorry and it was like stripped back and the perfect point I don't think if I'd have sung it it'd be the same and East Side with Halls Inc. it was like Benny's first single I think if I'd have released that, that wouldn't have been. Yeah, I think they all they all hold their own space, I guess. And if I'd have done it, maybe I wouldn't have done it properly. Yeah. Yeah. Is there any song of yours that you are secretly sick of playing? No, honestly, no. And I think it goes back to what I was saying of like, you have to be able

to stand behind it. I think if you compromise yourself in music to like do a certain thing, like reach a certain fan base or like whatever, and you can't stand behind it, if it doesn't work, then you've kind of failed in your mission because you've made it to work. And if it works, then you have to play it for the rest of time so i'm very very careful that everything that i make i have to be confident enough to sing it for forever and also if even if you've sung a song 2 000 times it's always different every time you play it with the crowds so so yeah i'm not really sick of playing anything really okay let's break down some of your lyrics. I'm gonna give you a lyric and you're gonna tell me

the meaning behind it or any story. Okay. He's got his eyebrows plucked and his asshole bleached. What are you referring to, Ed? Oh my God. Yeah, do you know what? That's a song called New Man. And I actually haven't heard those though. I haven't sung that song in years.

It's basically, I don't know, it was a 27 year old's take on that, you know, like being the ex-boyfriend and sort of, I don't know. I think it's beautiful. of, I don't know. I think it's beautiful. Yeah, I wrote that with Jessie Ware actually. We had a lot of fun writing those lyrics because it was all just kind of like throwing out stuff that we all thought was a bit like funny.

Have you ever had an ex call you out for writing a song about them? Of course, yeah, of course. But I'm a songwriter, like I always say like, and I've dated some writers in the past as well. And it's kind of one of those things that I've got to be able to take it as well as, um, write it. And I think that, um, you know, it's the good and good and bad.

And also like writing songs is, it is the two extremes. It's the same thing. You can't write a song about a feeling that's like, yeah, my day was all right today. And I kind of write about it either is like, I am the most in love that I've ever been, or I am the, you know, most hurt or blah, blah, blah. It's like two extremes. And those, those are the things that come out and also those are the things that connect with people. So, you know, you can listen to an artist songs and be, and be like, well, they only really, they're either like, they either love someone really much, they hate someone, but those are the times that you write songs that actually feel something, you know? So, so yeah, I've

definitely had, I wouldn't even say arguments, conversations. And I think that because I've been a songwriter since I was 11, that anyone that I've been romantically involved with at least knows that you take the good with the bad. Because you're going to like, they will be both sides. You will get both sides, you know? Would you often back in the day, would you just like press upload or were you ever giving people a heads up?

It was coming. Yeah, I've always given people heads up unless I haven't been in touch with them anymore. I mean, obviously there's like breakups of people you just don't speak to anymore, but yeah, there's, yeah, I feel like I have a good enough relationship with my exes that, yeah. You can be like, hey, a banger's coming, get ready. This one slaps, you wanna hear it? They're like, fuck you.

Yeah, fucking hell, well. Okay, they say I'm up and coming coming like I'm fucking in an elevator. I wrote that when I was 15. I was really proud of that line. It's pretty good. Thank you. It's pretty good. What headspace do you think you were in when you wrote that?

I loved rap battles. I loved rap battles. So I would be watching like online, there was a couple of leagues in the UK, there was Jump Off and Don't Flop, and those were the two that I would watch as a teenager. And it was all about metaphors and similes and just saying clever shit line after line and punchlines and stuff. So I was in a phase of writing songs where I was just trying to fit in punchlines. And when I wrote that, it went down so well at gigs from the age

of 15 as well. Everyone's just like, Oh, that song that it just kind of stayed in. It's quite weird actually singing that song as a 34 year old having written it at 15, cause you're singing it. And like, this is so different to how I am now, even like I have lines and I'm like, I spit fast. I know that all my shit's cool. I will blast. And I never went to Brit school. And like I'm singing it as a 34 year old dad now on stage. Like, yeah, I just don't know if I believe this anymore.

You're like, oh, yeah, 15 year old me. I've really grown. People love it, though. People love it. You know? But I feel like that's what's fun though is that you still will play those type, you know what I mean?

I love the fact that I closed my show with a song that I wrote when I was 15. It's like a kind of really nice full circle moment. Cause I used to play that song to no one and now you close a stadium with it. Still it's the same song, same setup, everything. Pretty amazing. Yeah, it's fun.

Okay, Azizam, I want to get lost in your ocean and drown. This obviously is a lyric from your new single. What are you talking about, Ed? I think with that song, it kind of just all felt really, really fun and immersive. I think that's where the ocean thing came from is just like immersing yourself in the night that line Definitely had some people in my circle being like you really need to say drown I don't know it sounded good. Sometimes that's all that counts in the studio is does it sound good?

And what does Azizam mean? Azizam is Farsi and it means my dear or my love the The guy that I made the tune with, Ilya, is Persian and we were literally in the studio, we were just trying different things and he was like, would you ever do something Persian influenced? And he just sort of led me on this journey. We've got like footage of the moment where he's like, I'm like, what's like my love in Farsi? And he's like, oh, Az he's am and I was like, that's a fucking cool word. And you kind of like it really like it's a it's a really fun song. It will. It's funny because when I was listening to it, it's awesome.

But I like hear it the way that you sing it of like, well, I'm not even going to fucking try. But like how you kind of leave like a pause where you like, ah, Z's. Um, yeah. OK. OK. Moving on, that was embarrassing. Did you like the songs? They're amazing, they're so good. Okay, can we talk about your wife though? You guys met in high school and then you didn't start dating until much later.

How did you reconnect? I started employing like my best mate on tour. So I kind of went through periods best mate on tour. So I kind of went, I went through periods of time until like I'm a solo artist and I don't have a band. So, and I'm very much like, I would just tour on my own. Obviously like I have a crew, but my crew were like 50 year old blokes. So there's only so much bonding you can do, I think.

And I got intensely lonely and burnt out. And yeah, I remember I'd spoke to my mate, she grew up opposite me, Lauren. And she just left university. She now like works in tour management on my tour and stuff and has been doing it for 10 years. But she was very much, I guess, worried about me and just came on tour, started working on tour. And then we were in New York and her sister was living with Cherry. And I had had moments with Cherry when we were younger. And I guess we just reconnected and picked up where we left off, I guess. And it was one of those things where I wasn't really expecting it to happen. I kind of just got out of a relationship. I was on tour for god knows how long and

it just felt really I was sort of like unless I do this it I will always regret it so I just sort of jumped in and yeah best decision I think I've made. You have two daughters. How has your life changed since becoming a father? Very dramatically actually, very dramatically. I think just, I mean, even just not being a fucking maniac with drinking drugs or smoking or, you know, I exercise now, never exercised before. I get up in the morning rather I used to sleep till like 4 p.m.

Like it's really has changed dramatically. And just in the way that I'm home more and my work schedule is based around them rather than based around me. That's incredible. Do you sing to them? Like do they understand? Of course, yeah, of course.

It's usually Moana. It's usually just me singing Moana. Yeah, they like, I have a song on the album called Sapphire that they love. So it's either Moana or Sapphire. Moana, by the way, top fucking tier Disney music. Top tier. Oh, absolutely.

Do you just walk around the house and sing that to them? Yeah. All the songs, actually. And Moana too, actually. When I went to go and see it, I wasn't straight away enamored with the songs, and now those songs are my favorite songs too. Which one is your favorite?

Puttin' me on the spot here. Probably the Chi-Hoo song. What does that sound like? Can I get a Chi-Hoo? That one. Who are you, who are you gonna be? Gonna make some history. Come on, Moana, go get your desk.

Mate, my children fucking love it. Oh, that's good, Ed. And they've got the, we went to go and see Mufasa, and they loved the brother song. Coincidentally, same writer as Moana Wunt. So yeah, it's all in Manuel Miranda. You're gonna be singing it up. Your kids are in heaven over there.

They're lucky. That's nice to have. Right now we have a single out. Is there more coming? Yep. I have a, my idea was because the album is so broad, I didn't want to just be like, here's the single, here's the album. So there's music coming every sort of like two, three weeks. So there's Azzy Zam now, there's a song called Old Phone that comes out in a couple of weeks. And then after that,

there's another song that comes and we've shot all these videos. And I'm less about like single moments and more about I want people to sort of feel the breadth of the record. And I'm very confident that one of the songs will work. But it's more about I want people to sort of feel the breadth of the record and I'm very confident that one of the songs will work but it's more about just putting them out and letting people hear some of the record before it's out rather than what I've done before is just like here's my first single here's the album and yeah. How is this music different than everything you've put out before or is it? Yeah it's definitely different I think I've been more explorative with this with this album. I've kind of had an attitude of why the fuck not like and not really felt like I have to be in a box of being a singer songwriter of like I have to do this or I have to do that. And I lived in India for a little bit and worked with a load of Indian musicians and producers and blah, blah, blah. Obviously, I made a song like Azizam with Ilya who's Persian and that's in that world and Old Phone I think is more in a Nashville country

world and there's just lots of different moments on the record and the record is called Play and therefore it has to be playful, it has to be celebratory. I released two albums that are kind of, well one was the sort of main album and one sort of came off the back of it but they were both very like, very depressing about quite hard-hitting subjects, very muted. I still think they're beautiful records but I feel like coming out of that of having, you know, going through grief and all of that sort of stuff coming out, I needed to have something that felt bright and colorful and playful. And that's where doing St. Patrick's Day,

playing at Tootsies in Nashville, doing the New Orleans thing, the whole record just has to feel like fun and exciting. How do you avoid writer's block? I think you just write all the time. I think you have to, I think writer's block is actually fear of being shit rather than, because I think everyone can write. You have to, I think writer's block is actually fear of being shit rather than,

because I think everyone can write, you have to just sit down and write, but you have to accept that sometimes it's shit, and it's not good enough. And I think that I just write and write and write, sometimes it's good, sometimes it's great. And sometimes it will be a song that you keep. And I think if you do that year in year out, you're left at the end of the year with like 10, 11 songs that are really great. And then you can actually start forming an album. It's really interesting to hear you talk about like the way that you're approaching projects, albums essentially, but they're projects in your brain

of like this one was like more intense and now this needs to feel more fun. And like, I can feel that energy from you. Okay, Ed, last question. What do you want your legacy in music to be? I would love for it to seem possible to any kid out there that just wants to pick up an acoustic guitar. I think that the thing that's jarring about me to people is also the thing that creates hope because I am a

regular dude who picked up an acoustic guitar who's not from a major city who made it happen by going out there. And I would love for all kids to go, fuck, I could probably do that too, rather than feel like it's an impossible thing. Because it's really not. It's really not. I think that it's, I couldn't sing when there's footage of me online. Where have you seen it? Where I'm- Now I'm gonna Google it. Where I can't sing.

I mean, we could play it now. Wait, you can't see it, you couldn't sing? It's got, if you type in Ed Sheeran, Addicted, it's me when I'm 14, singing. But then- It's that bad? It's bad. But then I like practiced and became,

you can actually just find the- The clip? The song online. Yeah, someone leaked all my old EP's which I guess shows progress Listen to it. You can fast-forward it a little bit. I've got an intro because I love I love an intro Here we go It's alright, you wait. Me, you sound like little baby Ed. Wait, that's cute! Yeah, but it's not like, it's not professional standard, is it? Oh no! That's what I'm saying

We can turn it off now But I'm saying like I didn't know I didn't know how to sing in tune and then I taught myself how to sing in tune by practicing so I Honestly when I go into talks at like music schools and to kids and stuff. I always play that and go Because everyone just assumes that you're born and you're just there you just got it. And you can teach yourself. I taught myself, well, I didn't teach myself how to play guitar, but I learned how to play guitar. I learned how to perform.

I learned how to perform in front of lots of different crowds. I learned how to song write. I learned how to sing. And I'd love my legacy to be any kid anywhere, literally anywhere goes, I can do that too. Because I think that that's like music, music is a thing that it's also for, uh, kids that aren't good at other things who don't have a lot of self-worth or self-confidence if they start music in any form in, in poetry or singing or instruments, or even like working in a studio or whatever, it gives you so much

like worth and confidence in yourself as a human being. And I think that in school, there's so much like importance put on you must be good at this subject you must be good at this subject to actually be a good human being and to go out in the world and achieve and I just wasn't good at anything as a kid and I didn't have a lot of self-worth because of that and I felt like I was stupid and music was I was only good at music and that became my career. And I think when I go into schools and stuff and talk to people, I'm like, you only need one thing that you're good at.

And then that is you for life. You find one thing, you work really hard at it, then that is your career. And I think that that I would love for my legacy to be. I think that is so beautiful. And I appreciate you bringing up the concept of like kids looking at celebrities and musicians and actors and anyone in the arts like it seems like this far away concept and you have

made it feel like achievable in a way that can be actually like everyday motivating for a person being like I'm one step away from my gorgeous cover going on YouTube and sounding like Ed and then look where you are. But then not being embarrassed about that phase of your life because another thing that I found in my career is I've learned everything from my failures and nothing from my success. It's not like I was on stage at Wembley Stadium being like I'm learning a lot from this. I learned everything on the way to there and I think that what that shows is actually failing at something is good,

because then I learned how to sing after then. And there's so much like importance nowadays on, just even on social media about like succeeding and showing you're doing well and like not being in, but like the embarrassment of something failing or flopping when actually all of those things, every single artist in the world has played to two people in a room and sucked. Every single, and that is a really important stepping stone and everyone has written songs that have released that other people didn't like.

That's an important stepping stone. It's all about like learning from failures rather than just always, your career just can't do this the whole time. You can't just get bigger and bigger and bigger, better and better, everything works because that's just not real life. It's about picking yourself up after the failures and trying again rather than giving up. Again, I always say, sorry to bang on about education stuff, but I think with anything, it's important that when you have that thing that you love, that you want to do, don't give yourself a plan B because if you have a plan B and it gets really difficult and starts failing you always revert to the plan B and if you have plan A at all points you go this has to work and even at the points we fail like I've done really terrible shows where it's there was a show that I

did in Exeter where it was like I think like 60 quid to get down there was a show that I did in Exeter where it was like, I think like 60 quid to get down there on a train, but I had a rucksack full of CDs and I was like, do you know what, if I sell seven CDs, I've made my money back and a tenner. So all I need to do is sell seven CDs at this gig. And I got to the gig, no one turned up. I waited too long to see if people had turned up and then I missed my train home and I had to sleep at the train station. And in that moment, like 18, 19, I was like, why am I doing this? Like

all my friends have just gone to university. Some of them have gone out to get jobs. They're actually like on their path and I feel like I'm not achieving anything. And in that moment, my head just went, but this is the only thing you can do. So just keep doing it and hope it will work. And I think that in that moment, had I had a plan B, I would have gone, cool, I'll just, I'll go and do, I'll go and do that now. You must find that though. I mean, you're hugely successful. You must have just been like, this is going to work. I will. I yes. And I relate a lot to that of not having a plan B and then people, whether

it was like making fun of you for it or you feeling like why am I not doing a traditional, like I remember being in college and all the girls were taking courses that were like finance and all that. And I was like in the film school and everyone was like where is that gonna get you? And a lot of times I was like I don't know.

But those feelings, you know in you what you actually love and you have to go with that. And the people making fun of you as well, because that is a huge thing. It's so easy for other people to make fun of someone for taking a risk and doing something. And I actually think it comes from an internal thing of when they say, what's she doing? She can't do that. It's actually because in what's she doing she can't do that it's actually because in their own heads they can't do it and they haven't got the thing that goes you know fuck it i'm just gonna do this fuck what other people think and it's it's like almost taking the piss out of you for even dreaming about it because why the fuck would you dream about

being successful like just do do your plan. I think it's like almost a scary thing sometimes for that. And I got, mate, I had none of my mates, even my best friends now, none of them really came to the first gigs I did. It wasn't until it started like catching steam that suddenly people were like, I'm not saying like all my mates, but a large amount of my mates who are now my best friends and have been since school. I had one of my best friends who literally like, you know, he's godfather of one of my kids, when I was a teenager rung me up pretending to be Zane Lowe and was like, Zane Lowe worked on Radio One at the time and had this thing called Hottest Record in the World where he would

like debut a new record of an unsigned artist and he rung me up pretending to be Zane Lowe and then all of you know he had all his my other mates on the phone and they were all laughing down the phone and I was like you know stuff like that yeah that is traumatizing then four years later guess what I'm hot this record in the world on Zane Lowe that That's so crazy. You can never let them forget. I'm like, you little fuckers never came to my shows in the beginning. Fuck you. I mean, one, my mate, Zach, real one, Zach always came to the shows.

Zach, there's always one. Shout out Nick. No, that is such a beautiful message to leave this on because I can imagine there's so many people watching this right now that are either like going to quit the job because they're not making enough and they hate it. And they're like, okay, I'm just going to like not pursue it anymore. And I'll just go do what like my parents had wanted me to do. Or there's someone that is like doing something in this moment that people are making fun of

them for, or they feel let down and they feel like there's no way to actually get to what they want. This is like, here you fucking go. It all comes down to enjoyment though, because I think if you're still enjoying what you do, because even though I did that Exeter gig and no one turned up for it, I was still playing music that night rather than doing something I didn't want to do.

So I think there will come difficult times in everyone's careers, but as long as you love what you do, you've always got that at the end of the day. But I'd say if you're in a job that you don't love, try and find something that you love. You know? Yeah, go for your passion and make it your job if you can. Ed, this has been so fun.

I wish I could talk to you for like 10 more hours because I feel like we could do one an entire podcast and just movies in general. We could do it again? I know. We could do it again. Maybe I'll see you again. I would love to do a movie one. I would sit here with you and geek out over a movie because I'm a movie girl too. Like I'm full movies. Have you seen The Florida Project? Yes.

Just literally just watched that the other night. Oh my God. Blue my fucking mind. Did you see Anora? Of course. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I hadn't really heard of Sean Baker before then, so then I went back and did like Tangerine and the Florida Project. But Florida Project, like,

I haven't cried like that at a movie for just at the end with the little girl, I was just like. No, he's so fucking talented. Thank you for taking the time. I know you're running on like two hours of sleep and you were fucking great, so thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks to Lieb by Yves Saint Laurent for sponsoring today's episode.

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