Ed Sheeran on Harry Styles’ penis, Zayn Malik leaving, Bloodstream lyrics and Taylor Swift

AS interviews go, Ed Sheeran is a breath of fresh air. No question or subject is off-limits for the pop singer who can’t wait to tour here again.

Big night ... Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran celebrated their Brit Award victories until 6am. Picture: Splash.

HE’S back! Ed Sheeran loves our country (but not our chocolate) and is heading back to break records by playing stadiums single-handedly. But what was the fallout from 24-year-old Sheeran telling the world what Harry Styles is packing? And why doesn’t he care what Spotify pay him?

You’re set to be the first person to play stadiums in Australia with no other musician on stage. Have you noticed how people get quite transfixed with the loop pedal you use to create a one-man-band sound?

Yeah, I don’t think the loop pedal is a common thing outside the club circuit, I don’t think it’s been done (in stadiums) yet. That’s what is exciting and scary about it. It’s a unique selling point that people talk about. I’m going to continue building on it and exploring it more.

FOLLOW ED SHEERAN ON TWITTER

Just a guitar, a loop pedal and a voice ... Ed Sheeran wowed to a sellout crowd at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, last month.

Is it at the point where it’d feel odd to have a band now?

Yeah. I feel quite comfortable up there alone.

Your cheap ticket policy also applies to stadiums ... around $100 and $140 for all seats and no VIP packages again.

My show doesn’t involve 40 dancers and pyrotechnics and a 30-piece band. It’d be weird charging as much as people that do have that.

People think because it’s just you that you’re raking it in but obviously it takes a lot to put on your show, even if there’s no band ...

Yeah, it’s not just me. I still have all the people working for me, all the trucks, all the staging and all the lights and all the screens. It’s just the cost of dancers and pyrotechnics and a band isn’t there so I can do cheaper tickets.

One man band ... Ed Sheeran has no problems flying solo on stage. Picture: Tim Hunter

When you were in Melbourne for the AFL Grand Final you recorded a Christmas single. Any chance of that surfacing this year?

I want to do it. But I’m not the one in charge of putting my songs out. I write the songs, I listen to advice on when and where to release stuff.

You thought Thinking Out Loud would be the last single from X, then out came Bloodstream. Is that it?
The plan was always meant to be five singles — Sing, Don’t, Thinking Out Loud, Bloodstream and then Photograph. There’s still Photograph to come but I’d imagine that’s coming pretty fast.

Bloodstream is quite a subversive single the way The A Team was, those lyrics aren’t what you usually hear in a pop song.

I quite like that radio are playing it and people can have their own interpretation of it. I don’t think it’ll be a hit in America.

Are the lines about feeling the chemicals rushing in your bloodstream and waiting for it to kick in as literal as they sound?
Well, it depends how deep you look into it. There are a lot of chemicals in everyone’s bloodstreams.

Making music and money ... Taylor Swift, someone not that famous, Ed Sheeron and Harry Styles. Picture: Twitter

You outed Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris as a couple recently and gave your approval. Have you had any flack from that?

I don’t think I outed them as a couple, they’ve been seen in public together quite a few times, so people have made that assumption. They’ve been pictured at lots of different concerts and have been holding hands so I don’t think I’m telling the world anything they don’t already know.

And you did some amazing PR for Harry Styles, telling the world about his impressive endowment. Any reaction from Harry?

(Laughs) Yeah I got a text. I don’t think it’s bad press is it?

You’ve had a bit to do with One Direction. Were you surprised when Zayn left?
As long as he’s happy that should be the only thing people care about. You don’t want to force someone to be unhappy just to keep other people happy.

This return to Australia in December, is that the official end of the X tour?
I f!@#ing hope so! I’ve kind of got to the point where I can’t say no to these things. I want to come back and tour Australia, I want to come back and do stadiums but I do also need to make another album. Australia is a brilliant country to end the tour in.

Are you worried about overexposure?

I don’t think tours are overexposure, it’s only your fans who want to come and see you on tour. I think overexposure comes in the form of releasing 10 singles off an album and being on every single TV show. I feel like in Australia, for instance, I’m only doing specific things. I did one thing on 60 Minutes, I’m pushing the fourth single from the album but after the fifth single I’m done. I think that’s where you risk overexposure. I was definitely more overexposed on the first album and I still managed to hold that down a little bit. I’ll bow out after Photograph.

There’s been no backlash yet ...

That only happens if you take the piss. And that only happens to people who don’t have an international career. They just are in their home country and flogging it until it’s done. If you have other promotion to do in other countries you can do two weeks in Australia and then leave and not come back until December. It’s quite hard to get overexposed when you’re travelling around the world.

Umbrella-ella-ella: ... Ed Sheeran and actress Emily Symons, who plays Marilyn Chambers on Home and Away) get shady at Summer Bay. Picture: Andrew Murray

Did being on Home and Away lead to more TV shows offering you guest roles?

I wouldn’t know. It goes through a lot of people before it comes to me. My manager knows what sort of stuff I say yes to and what I’d say no to. Home and Away’s definitely something I would have said yes to.

Presumably you’re singing on the show?
Ah, yep, I do play a song on there.

When you were in Australia your voice was threatening to go. That must be particularly alarming when the whole machine stops if you lose your voice?

It was scary. It was a difficult tour in that respect, a lot of air conditioning and a lot of flying dries you up.

Did you have to party less on this last Australian tour then?

Yep, I had to be more sensible than I usually am.

You didn’t do One on the Australian tour, was that a voice thing?
Yeah. One was in there but because my voice went I couldn’t do falsetto. It had to come out. I’m always tweaking the setlist, it’ll be different when I come back to Australia in December.

Big night ... Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran celebrated their Brit Award victories until 6am. Picture: Splash.

Sam Smith said despite those photographs of yourself and him at the Brit Awards you weren’t actually that drunk.

It really wasn’t as bad as it looked. We were drunk, but if you put someone who’s had a few beers into the street and then have 20 flashing lights flashing in their eyes they’re going to look a bit weird.

There’s less of both Sam and yourself these days. What’s the secret?
I lost a lot of weight last year when I learned to dance (for Thinking Out Loud video). Sam’s cut out sugar which is quite a good thing. There’s always good food you can eat.

everything down under is better, except the chocolate, step the chocolate game up. switzerland, holla at yo boiz

— Ed Sheeran (@edsheeran) April 7, 2015

I should slag off chocolate more, everyone's giving me so much today and I love it, thank you x https://t.co/dtvFTNqrZ7

— Ed Sheeran (@edsheeran) April 8, 2015

You rudely slagged off Australian chocolate on Twitter. Did anything change your mind?

I found a thing called a Slab in New Zealand which was pretty good.

Have you started making the next album yet?

No. I’m itching to get back and make some music. I made a commitment to do a lot of shows this year so I’ve just got to get them done. I wrote the whole of X on the road, but I didn’t really enjoy doing that. I hope I don’t have to do it this time.

You’re a Damien Rice fan, what did you think about his comeback album?
I was recording with Rick (Rubin) when he was making Damien’s album so I heard it in every single stage. I saw it all come together.

When he was doing interviews for this album he batted away questions about how he inspired you and how you’ve got a tattoo of his name. Have you met him again recently?

I met him when I was 11. I don’t really feel like I need to meet him again. What I got out of that meeting inspired me to become a musician. That’s a really good memory for me. I don’t want to tarnish that.

You meet a lot of kids now, it must stick in your mind how impressionable you were meeting your hero?

Of course. It’d take a very cold person to be mean to be a kid. I’m just glad people are picking up guitars and writing their own songs.

There was a story recently about how you were one of the acts on Spotify whose music most people choose to go to sleep playing.

I’m streamed a lot on all the Spotify playlists, I had the most streamed album of last year, so of course it’s going to be the most streamed sleep playlist. I’m not really bothered by that. I’m sure it’s the most streamed exercise one as well. It is what it is. I know a lot of people think that’s negative press but it just means people like to listen to my music.

You’re also one artist who doesn’t moan about tiny streaming royalty payments for millions of streams.

I’m playing stadiums on my second album. That’s down to me being pretty open to how people hear my music.

Ed Sheeran, Suncorp Stadium, November 28. NIB Stadium, Perth December 2, AAMI Park Melbourne December 5, Allianz Stadium Sydney December 9. On sale Tuesday, see frontiertouring.com

Originally published as Ed Sheeran on Harry Styles’ penis, Zayn Malik leaving, Bloodstream lyrics and Taylor Swift