The Real Reason Ed Sheeran Is Embarrassed By His Own Songs

Ed Sheeran has cemented himself as one of music's most prolific singer-songwriters in recent years. The "Shivers" hitmaker has received numerous accolades for his work — including four Grammys and multiple No. 1 hits — and, on October 29, after a year-and-a-half hiatus, he released his fourth studio album, "=" ("equals").

During a chat with The Sun earlier this year, the musician — whose many smash hits include "Shape of You," "Thinking Out Loud," and, most recently, "Habits" — explained he wrote "25 songs a week" while taking time out of the spotlight. "I have done two albums [during this time] and have written like 250 songs. In that, about 50 ballads," he revealed to the newspaper, adding that of all the tracks he pens a week, "one of them will be alright and that will go on the 'maybe' list." 

During his time away, Sheeran even contemplated giving up music for good. He and his wife, Cherry Seaborn, welcomed daughter Lyra in September 2020 and it seems Sheeran's interest in being a musician went. "I had my daughter and I was like, 'Right, that's it. This is me. I am probably just going to be a dad. I am not going to play music anymore,'" Sheeran told SiriusXM. However, he soon realized just how much he missed it — and wanted to set a good example to his child — and returned to work.

Despite being a global success with all of the songs he's written, Sheeran admits he's embarrassed by his own material. But why?

With millions of record sales and four Grammys to his name, it's safe to say Ed Sheeran's music is deeply appreciated by fans and critics alike. With that being said, the "Perfect" hitmaker admitted he's "embarrassed" by his own songs. 

Sheeran made the confession in a recent Apple Music livestream. " ... They're all my thoughts and emotions put into songs, and they're largely quite embarrassing things in my mind that I'm putting down into writing," he said (via Music News). But he realized the importance of it, too. "If a song doesn't make me go, 'Oh I don't wanna put that out,' then I shouldn't be putting it out," he added. "If it makes me feel embarrassed to release it, it's the right song to do." The musician knows listeners will be able to identify with his words. "Always, when I hear songs that I love, there's lines that they say where you go, 'That's exactly what I'm thinking, but I would never say that,'" he said. "So that's what I try to do with songwriting." 

Clearly, Sheeran can't be too mortified by "=" — which is currently sitting at the top spot on Tunes — as he called it his "favorite" in an Instagram post on release day. "This is my favorite album I've made, I'm so proud of it," Sheeran wrote. "Thank you to all the wonderful people who worked on it with me. To the fans, I hope you love it as much I do, it's been a long journey to this point."