Ed Sheeran says he “didn’t really like” his song Photograph

Ed Sheeran says he “didn’t really like” his song Photograph

It’s been a decade since Ed Sheeran released his hugely successful album, “x,” which featured hits like “Photograph,” “Thinking Out Loud,” “Don’t” and “Sing.”

Ahead of his headlining performance at the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation’s Blue Diamond Gala on May 2, the 33-year-old Grammy-winning artist reflected on the album’s 10th anniversary.

“I think at the time you don’t really realize what’s going on,” Sheeran told Billboard.

“You go from one song to the next to the next. At the time, I was just happy that people liked the song and now I look back at the album, and it was an album that people really liked, which I think is great. It took me from the arena to the stadium and I think it’s an important album in my career.”

Surprisingly, Sheeran revealed that he had to warm up to one of the album’s biggest hits. “I remember ‘Photographer’ took a very long time to get the production right. It looked old,” he said.

“That was the song I didn’t like at first because we spent so much time on it and it ruined it. Now, I can look back and enjoy the process.”

Despite its initial reservations, “Photograph” became one of Sheeran’s most popular songs, winning him a BMI Pop Award and earning a nomination for an iHeartRadio Music Award in 2016. The song has also amassed over 2 billion streams on Spotify.

Since the release of “x,” Sheeran hasn’t slowed down. He followed up with albums like 2017’s ÷, 2021’s =, and 2023’s -, along with collaborations in projects like Collaboration Project No. 6 2019 and his latest release, Autumn Variations.

“It’s important not to do the same thing twice,” Sheeran says of maintaining his interesting career over the years.

“Musically, I’m always like, ‘Have I ever said this before? Has a song ever sounded like this before?’ different.”

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of “x”, Sheeran will release “x (10th Anniversary Edition)” on June 21. The expanded version will feature the original 12 tracks along with nine bonus tracks, never before available on vinyl.