Ed Sheeran co-hosted Smallzy’s Surgery with Kent ‘Smallzy’ Small on the Nova Network. Ed discussed that collaborations allowed him not over craft or over think and do things musically that he wouldn’t do on his own albums, he credits Taylor Swift for being the catalyst for artists using instruments in their song writing and talks about the fact that one thing people remember about him when he was starting out was his stinky feet.
“I think it’s all happened very gradually and very sort of like…by accident…I feel weird to come out the other end of it having survived”
Smallzy talks about it being 10 years this year since the A Team. Does he look back on those early days? And just like, think about how life has changed or how much that changed more.”
Ed said, “I think more because the A Team came out commercially 10 years ago, I wrote the A Team 12 years ago and I think looking back at when I wrote it versus where I am now. I mean, when I said I had two pairs of socks I literally never washed my socks and just changed socks. I mean, if you've met anyone that knew me back then the one thing that everyone could agree on is my feet stank. I was hopping on from sofa to sofa playing anywhere that would have me and no one was interested Everyone was just like, if you put on paper, there's a fat ginger boy that raps with a small guitar, do you want to sign him? Fuck no. I feel like it's a big it's a big change…Now people I have people say to me oh, but you must have always known and I don't think I knew, I don't think my record label knew when they signed me, I don't think my management knew. I think it's all happened very gradually and very by accident, almost, you know…..Thinking out loud is one of the biggest songs that I've put out and that was meant to be a bonus track on the album, Shape of You was never even meant to go on the album…There's so many things that have happened by accident or by chance…it's been a mad journey like nothing feels planned or meant to be…it’s just kind of happened and now I’m here.”
"I honestly think when #Folklore came out everyone went..you know what? Yeah, we should be making albums like this...so all credit to Taylor Swift for starting that"
Smallzy asked about the missing four years and the joy Ed had since I spoke to you last there was the collaborations albums. I've always watched and enjoyed you get off and enjoy collaborating with other artists, like watching you in the documentary that you did. Was that a lot of fun to do? Have you taken elements of artists collaboration into the new record?”
Ed said, “No, because I think the whole point of doing the collaboration was doing things that I wouldn't usually do on my own record and I feel, what I loved about the collaborations record is and I've spoken to Taylor about her doing Folklore and doing Evermore is like, it's a neat knee jerk thing where you just go like, let's create something and let's put it out and there's no real deep thought process. Me and Taylor are prone to really crafting and thinking and being like, this song has to go here…I feel like with collaboration, it was just like, right, I like these artists, let me make songs with them.
Smallzy said, “As someone who I know, you know, loves the bees and loves music and loves playing instruments. I was talking to Ryan Tedder the other day and he says he feels like instruments back…I know it's a wild idea, but he feels like lots of people wanting to write on organic instruments. So I look forward to that journey or that that happening in the future.”
Ed said, “I think you know, I think the catalyst for that was Taylor's Folklore. I honestly think when folklore came out, everyone went yeah, we should be we should be we should be writing like this, we should be making albums like this, so I think like all credit to Taylor for starting that.”
