Ed Sheeran, the visitor on this episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, is an English singer/songwriter who has been described by Rolling Stone as “among the many twenty first century’s very greatest international pop superstars;” by the Los Angeles Instances as “arguably essentially the most profitable male pop star on the planet;” by The Guardian as “essentially the most commercially profitable British artist of his age” and “an era-defining musician [who] has earned his place alongside [David] Bowie, Elton [John], George Michael, Morrissey and Elvis Costello within the pantheon of nice British male solo artists;” and by the New York Instances as “this era’s James Taylor,” “one of many few constantly bankable solo male international pop stars working” and “a defining pop artist of the trendy period.”
At simply 34, Sheeran is already a four-time Grammy winner who has had two songs prime the Billboard Sizzling 100 — “Form of You” and “Excellent” — and 4 albums prime the Billboard 200. On the again of his megahit 2017 album Divide, he grew to become that yr’s bestselling musician on the planet, and he finally grew to become Spotify’s second-most-streamed artist of the 2010s, behind solely Drake. And as we speak, with greater than 200 million data bought worldwide, he is among the bestselling music artists of all time; the third most-followed individual on Spotify, behind solely the Indian singer Arijit Singh and Taylor Swift; and considered one of TIME’s 100 most influential individuals on the planet for 2025.
Earlier this fall, he launched his eighth studio album, Play; and he’s at the moment within the operating for finest authentic music Oscar nominations for not one however two songs that he co-penned and carried out for blockbuster 2025 movies: “Drive” for F1: The Film, which he wrote with John Mayer and Blake Slatkin, and which obtained a finest music Critics Selection Award nomination final week; and “Zoo” for Zootopia 2, which he wrote with Shakira and Slatkin.
Over the course of a latest dialog on the London West Hollywood resort, Sheeran mirrored on his unlikely path from busking on the streets of London to superstardom; the origin tales of a number of of his greatest hits, together with “The A Workforce,” “Sing,” “Considering Out Loud” and “Dangerous Habits;” why he agreed to jot down songs for motion pictures, and the way doing so differs from the way in which he normally writes music; plus rather more.
A couple of notable excerpts from the transcript of the dialog observe.
On Taylor Swift, who as soon as described him as “the James Taylor to my Carole King”…
“I used to be opening up for Snow Patrol in Nashville, and Frank, who works with Taylor, would come down. And I simply form of talked about, I simply mentioned, ‘If she ever needs to jot down a music, I’m round.’ I knew that she knew my music; she’d written the lyrics to “Lego Home” on her hand when she was enjoying in, I wish to say Brisbane, perhaps it was Sydney, it was someplace in Australia, however there was these pictures going round of her with my lyrics on her hand. So I used to be like, ‘If she ever needs to jot down…’ After which we met. Clearly, we’re the alternative intercourse, and we’re from totally different nations and cultures, however I really feel very intertwined creatively together with her. And we had all this time on [the 2013-2014 Red] tour collectively the place we form of bonded as buddies and collaborators and performers. And I do actually agree with the James Taylor and Carole King factor. We now have very transient lives. I’m very a lot settled youngsters in class. After which touring, I do see her on occasion. And after we see [each other], you simply lock again in and reconnect, and it’s like no time has handed. It’s similar to a sibling.”
On his music “Sing,” which Pharrell produced and backed you on, and which grew to become his first No. 1 within the U.Okay. and went to No. 13 in America…
“I believe that that is among the most vital songs in my discography as a result of it took me out of the pigeonhole. I actually suppose that that allowed me to be as experimental as I wished with out individuals elevating eyebrows… I wouldn’t say it’s the largest hit in my discography, but it surely opened up the door. And I don’t suppose songs like ‘Form of You’ occur with out that door being opened.”
On his album Divide, the primary two singles of which, “Form of You” and “Fort on the Hill,” each debuted within the prime 10 of the Billboard Sizzling 100, one thing that no artist had achieved within the 58-year historical past of the charts as much as that time; “Form of You” was at No. 1 for 12 non-consecutive weeks, changing into the largest music of 2017; different hits on the album included “Excellent” and “Happier”…
“I believe all the pieces was resulting in that — the entire construct from Plus, the entire construct from Multiply, songs like ‘Sing’ opening me as much as new audiences. I believe that was the nucleus level the place all of it simply form of related. You have a look at many artists’ careers and so they have these moments that all the pieces results in, after which life goes on from there. I’ll be fortunate if I’ve another of these in my life. Typically individuals get two, generally individuals get three, however I’m fortunate that I had one the place all of it simply clicked.”
On his new sequence of albums about music playback instructions, following the 5 about mathematical symbols…
“There might be 5 — technically six, as a result of there’ll be one after I die known as Ejects. I like the thought of making regardless of the posthumous album is earlier than I am going. Dropping Jamal [Edwards, his close friend and early champion], and him dying and not using a will, was troublesome for everybody, and it actually made me suppose like, ‘If I do move away, I wish to ensure all the pieces’s so as.’”
On changing into concerned with F1: The Film and writing the unique music “Drive” for it…
I’d met Jerry [Bruckheimer, the producer] on the F1 2022 in Austin — perhaps they had been scouting for one thing, I don’t suppose they had been taking pictures at this level, however him and Brad [Pitt] had been there — and he was like, “It is best to do a music for the movie when it’s completed.” I used to be simply form of like, “Yeah, cool. Positive.” After which they did get in contact. Due to the form of artist that I’m and the form of songs that I’ve had which were large, individuals go, ‘We’d like to have you ever for the love scene and we’ll do that—’ What I favored about it was Jerry was he was simply form of like, ‘You choose and also you do what you need.’ I watched the primary iteration of it, about 40 minutes on Zoom with Jerry, after which I obtained a screener and stuff like that, but it surely wasn’t like a completed film. And I picked the tip scene when he [Pitt’s character] is using off within the dune buggy. I do know what John [Mayer] can do — John is only a guitar wizard, and I knew that he would provide you with the perfect riff — and we obtained within the studio, me, him, and Blake. He did the riff, did the melody. I took it away, added the lyrics, got here again, tweaked it a bit bit. After which Blake and John obtained Dave Grohl in and Pino Palladino.”
On whether or not or not, with “Drive,” he was attempting to create a music that may even have an enchantment impartial of the film…
“I wasn’t pondering of the independentness in any respect. No, I don’t suppose it essentially does. It definitely doesn’t slot in my catalog — it’s like a giant rock music. I truly mentioned to the man that runs F1, I used to be like, ‘Simply have that music. I don’t need any cash for it. Use it for no matter you need. As a result of if it doesn’t exist in that world, it’s form of redundant.’ I simply wished it to be this fucking large finish credit score music. Even me singing seems like a automobile engine beginning, but it surely’s simply highly effective and in your face. That entire film is so adrenaline stuffed. You are feeling bodily sick at factors in that movie as automobiles are dashing and whizzing by. So I wished the music to have the identical form of energy, vitality, and adrenaline. And I believe as I used to be making it, I form of knew it didn’t exist outdoors the movie. I used to be identical to, this music is function constructed for this second within the film. And I believe that’s what’s good about making songs particularly for motion pictures — it’s tied to the movie, and if the movie’s nice and the movie lives on and the movie has legacy, then the music has legacy. I believe in the event you had been to create a music pondering, ‘This has to exist outdoors the film,’ then it gained’t. I’ve met a great deal of individuals over time that found me by means of The Desolation of Smaug — they watch that music, and “I See Hearth” comes on on the finish, after which they examine my music out. And if this F1 movie continues to be the form of juggernaut that it’s for the subsequent 30 or 40 years of my life and profession, individuals are all the time going to find that music, which is thrilling.”