Ed Sheeran on opening up to Taylor Swift: “She’s in the same sphere”

Ed Sheeran has been in the news after his recent court win, where he was found not liable for copyright infringement, and for his upcoming intimate ‘Subtract Tour’, which will take place during his larger arena ‘+–=÷× Tour’ (also called ‘The Mathematics Tour’).

The singer-songwriter has now opened up about one of the friendships that has helped Sheeran during times of stress, his friendship with Taylor Swift.

Therapeutic conversations

“I have long, long, long conversations with Taylor about stuff just because I feel like she’s one of the only people that actually truly understands where I’m at,” Sheeran said in a recent interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1.

“I had an hour-20 conversation with her yesterday and we were just — everything that was on our minds we talked about.

He continued: “I mean that in itself is kind of therapy as well, because you’re actually talking to someone that genuinely gets it. That has all the things that you feel and have insecurities about and how other people treat you or how your family treat you, how your friends treat you. She’s basically in the same sphere.”

A decade-long friendship

Sheeran and Swift have been friends and collaborators since 2012. Sheeran had contacted Swift’s manager in order to arrange a meeting between the two in Nashville when he found out that Swift had written his lyrics on her arm at one of his shows in Australia.

They later wound up working together, writing several songs, with one being released on Swift’s 2012 album ‘Red’. Sheeran shared a clip of the song, ‘Everything Has Changed’, on social media.

The two then went on to perform together at Z100′s Jingle Ball in 2012 at Madison Square Garden. Subsequently, Swift invited Sheeran to be her opening act during the North American leg of her 2013 ‘Red Tour’.

Swift returned the favor by once more cheering Sheeran on during a stop at Madison Square Garden during his ‘+ Tour’ in 2013.

Ed Sheeran on working with Aaron Dessner

During his interview, Sheeran also revealed what it was like to work with The National’s Aaron Dessner, who was recommended to him via Swift on his latest album ‘-’ better known as ‘Subtract’.

Swift and Dessner have previously worked together, most recently on her 2020 albums ‘Folklore’ and ‘Evermore’, and again for her 2022 album ‘Midnights’.

“I’m always, not guarded, but I kind of would keep my distance if there would be a collaborator that she’d be working with closely just because that’s her thing,” Sheeran explained. “And I don’t want to be like, ‘Well going to do that too.’”

“But she said, ‘I think it’d be really important for you as an artist to do what I did and work with Aaron because this is what it did for me,’” the ‘Perfect’ singer continued.

“So that sort of opened the door to it, and I am incredibly grateful. I’m making some of the most meaningful music to me that I’ve made in a very long time.”

‘Subtract’ will be released on all major streaming platforms on Friday, May 5.