Ed Sheeran Explains Why He Hasn’t Owned a Phone in Nine Years

Ed Sheeran, the renowned British pop artist, recently shared that he has been living without a mobile phone since 2015.

During a recent episode of the Therapuss podcast with Jake Shane, the Grammy-awarded musician opened up about his decision to give up his phone. He explained that the constant pressure to respond to messages and the diminishing real-life interactions led him to this decision.

Sheeran humorously mentioned to the host that they wouldn’t be able to swap phone numbers as he no longer possesses a mobile phone to make calls or send texts.

However, during events, his team provides him with a phone for social media purposes. This strategy helps him limit his time spent on texting and concentrate more on face-to-face interactions, which he finds more rewarding.

Reflecting on the last time he owned a mobile device, Sheeran shared that he had the same number since he was around 15 years old. As he gained fame, he ended up with 10,000 contacts in his phone, leading to a constant influx of texts.

He felt that with phones, there’s an expectation to reply immediately, and not doing so is considered rude. But replying leads to a chain of responses, and before you know it, you’re juggling multiple conversations at once.

He also expressed his belief that constant connectivity hinders creativity. According to him, it’s the moments of boredom that spark innovative ideas, like the concept of an iPhone.