Ed Sheeran Talks Grammy Nomination, Influences & Music Videos
Ed Sheeran sat down for an interview with Walmart Risers, where the British singer songwriter discussed the inspiration behind hit singles ‘The A Team’ and ‘Lego House’, wanting the music to be the focus on his videos, being influenced by Bob Dylan and Eminem, living in London and the not having a home for four years.
“When I found out about the Grammy nomination I was on a bus on the way from Philadelphia to Boston,” Ed said regarding the Song of the Year nomination for ‘The A Team’. “I got a text from my manager saying we hadn’t got the nomination, because the only one we were expecting was Best New Artist, because I’m relatively new. I haven’t done much over here. So I got a text saying we haven’t got best newcomer, so I was like okay, fair enough, we’ll just work harder next year and try and get it. Then my phone started blowing up and getting a Song of the Year nomination, and that was the last thing on my list to tick off, so hopefully it goes well out there.”
Talking about taking a back seat in his music videos, Ed said, “I’m always involved with my videos, but sometimes I think videos shouldn’t be adverts for the artist as a person, they should be adverts for the music, and they should add to the song rather than add to the artist’s persona. I think because you have interviews and you have Twitter and all of that to add to your persona, so on ‘The A Team’, if I was to dress up in a wooly fur coat with a hood and a chain and sing that song, it wouldn’t really work. Telling the story of the song works better.”
Discussing his musical influences, Sheeran explained, “I think the tie-in factor for all the artists I listen to are the lyrics. I’d say all the artists I’m influenced by are very good storytellers, whether it be Bob Dylan or whether it be Eminem. They’re both very two similar artists even though they’re in two different genres, they both tell stories in a very particular way that draw the listener in, so I guess that’s how I’m influenced by those sort of people.”
As for his struggling early days as a singer songwriter, Ed said, “I wasn’t homeless. I think it’s cheesy to say I was homeless. I didn’t have a home for four years, but I had a lot of fun. I had a lot of cool experiences. I had a lot of awful experiences but it just made me in a non kind of ‘X Factor’ sad song montage way made me who I am. I’m very grateful for the position that I’m in now.”
Check out the interview video at soundcheck.walmart.com. Check out additional pictures from Ed’s appearance after the cut.
