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 largest international pop superstars;” by the Los Angeles Occasions as “arguably probably the most profitable male pop star on the earth;” by The Guardian as “probably 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 Occasions as “this technology’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 high the Billboard Sizzling 100 — “Form of You” and “Good” — and 4 albums high the Billboard 200. On the again of his megahit 2017 album Divide, he grew to become that yr’s bestselling musician on the earth, and he in the end grew to become Spotify’s second-most-streamed artist of the 2010s, behind solely Drake. And as we speak, with greater than 200 million information bought worldwide, he is without doubt one of 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 one among TIME’s 100 most influential folks on the earth for 2025.
Earlier this fall, he launched his eighth studio album, Play; and he’s at the moment within the working for finest authentic tune 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 tune Critics Selection Award nomination final week; and “Zoo” for Zootopia 2, which he wrote with Shakira and Slatkin.
Over the course of a current 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 largest hits, together with “The A Crew,” “Sing,” “Pondering Out Loud” and “Unhealthy Habits;” why he agreed to write down songs for films, and the way doing so differs from the best way he often writes music; plus rather more.
Just a few notable excerpts from the transcript of the dialog comply with.
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 type of talked about, I simply stated, ‘If she ever desires to write down a tune, I’m round.’ I knew that she knew my music; she’d written the lyrics to “Lego Home” on her hand when she was taking part in in, I need to say Brisbane, perhaps it was Sydney, it was someplace in Australia, however there was these images going round of her with my lyrics on her hand. So I used to be like, ‘If she ever desires to write down…’ After which we met. Clearly, we’re the other intercourse, and we’re from completely 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 type of bonded as associates and collaborators and performers. And I do actually agree with the James Taylor and Carole King factor. We’ve got very transient lives. I’m very a lot settled children in class. After which touring, I do see her occasionally. And once 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 tune “Sing,” which Pharrell produced and backed you on, and which grew to become his first No. 1 within the U.Ok. and went to No. 13 in America…
“I feel that that is without doubt one of the most essential songs in my discography as a result of it took me out of the pigeonhole. I actually assume that that allowed me to be as experimental as I needed with out folks elevating eyebrows… I wouldn’t say it’s the most important hit in my discography, however it opened up the door. And I don’t assume 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 high 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, turning into the most important tune of 2017; different hits on the album included “Good” and “Happier”…
“I feel all the things was resulting in that — all the construct from Plus, all the construct from Multiply, songs like ‘Sing’ opening me as much as new audiences. I feel that was the nucleus level the place all of it simply type of linked. You take a look at many artists’ careers they usually have these moments that all the things results in, after which life goes on from there. I’ll be fortunate if I’ve another of these in my life. Generally folks get two, generally folks 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 once I die referred to 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 assume like, ‘If I do cross away, I need to ensure that all the things’s so as.’”
On turning into concerned with F1: The Film and writing the unique tune “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 assume 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 tune for the movie when it’s completed.” I used to be simply type of like, “Yeah, cool. Superb.” After which they did get in contact. Due to the form of artist that I’m and the type of songs that I’ve had which were large, folks go, ‘We’d like to have you ever for the love scene and we’ll do that—’ What I appreciated about it was Jerry was he was simply type of like, ‘You decide and also you do what you need.’ I watched the primary iteration of it, about 40 minutes on Zoom with Jerry, after which I bought a screener and stuff like that, however it wasn’t like a completed film. And I picked the top 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 give you the perfect riff — and we bought 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 somewhat bit. After which Blake and John bought Dave Grohl in and Pino Palladino.”
On whether or not or not, with “Drive,” he was making an attempt to create a tune that may even have an enchantment impartial of the film…
“I wasn’t considering of the independentness in any respect. No, I don’t assume it essentially does. It actually doesn’t slot in my catalog — it’s like an enormous rock tune. I truly stated to the man that runs F1, I used to be like, ‘Simply have that tune. 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 needed it to be this fucking large finish credit score tune. Even me singing feels like a automotive engine beginning, however it’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 vehicles are dashing and whizzing by. So I needed the tune to have the identical type of energy, vitality, and adrenaline. And I feel as I used to be making it, I type of knew it didn’t exist outdoors the movie. I used to be identical to, this tune is function constructed for this second within the film. And I feel that’s what’s good about making songs particularly for films — it’s tied to the movie, and if the movie’s nice and the movie lives on and the movie has legacy, then the tune has legacy. I feel for those who had been to create a tune considering, ‘This has to exist outdoors the film,’ then it received’t. I’ve met a great deal of folks through the years that found me by The Desolation of Smaug — they watch that tune, 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 type of juggernaut that it’s for the following 30 or 40 years of my life and profession, persons are all the time going to find that tune, which is thrilling.”
