Ed Sheeran Explains Why He Ditched His Phone for Nearly a Decade

Ed Sheeran revealed why he hasn’t used a phone in years during his first Sydney show on the Loop Tour. Speaking to a crowd of 70,000 at Accor Stadium on February 14, the British singer reflected on the $100 million copyright lawsuit that accused him of copying Marvin Gaye’s 1973 hit Let’s Get It On in his 2014 song Thinking Out Loud. The case, filed in 2015, lasted eight years before a New York jury cleared him in 2023.

“In the last 10 years, if you have seen my name in the news it might be related to a lawsuit – a copyright lawsuit in 2015,” Sheeran told the audience. “I got sued for a song by someone else that had said I had stolen their song, and the only thing I could do in that situation, because I hadn’t done it, was take it to court and prove that I hadn’t done it.”

As part of the legal process, Sheeran had to hand over his phones and other devices. “All I’ll say is that I’m glad there’s nothing weird on them, you know,” he joked. He explained that the experience inspired him to stop using a phone entirely.

“I did a tour down here [in Australia] for Multiply in 2015 and I remember at the end of that tour, I switched that phone off and going, ‘I do not want to use a mobile phone again,’” he said. “I moved to email and I’ve used email since then.”

Turning on the phone years later for the lawsuit was an emotional experience. “I opened it again for this lawsuit and I switched it on to go through the emails and text messages and that sort of stuff and it was like going through a time machine to right back to 2015. But not only back to 2015 but to 2007, when I started texting on this number,” he recalled. “It proper like spun me out. I was like frozen in time.”

This reflection on the past inspired Old Phone, a track from his 2025 album Play, which he performed for the Sydney crowd. “I find whenever anything negative happens in my life, I write a song about it and it somehow makes sense of that bad thing that’s happened. And it also works with something good that happens in my life – I write a song about it,” he explained.

“Any song you hear of mine is basically like two-minute extremities. Either I feel a lot of this or I feel a lot of this … I find when the bad days happen, good songs come from it.”

Sheeran also shared his love for Australian fans, saying the country has always supported him. “This is why I love coming back to Australia. When I first came here when I was like 19 or 20, the crowds have always been nuts,” he said. “No matter the occasion, no matter the day, the crowd has always been nuts.”

He added, “Sydney, it feels amazing to be back. If you haven’t lost your voice tomorrow, I haven’t done my job. Australia was the first place I had a hit outside of the UK … so I am super happy to start the tour here. It means a lot and I hope you know that.”

Sheeran will perform two more shows in Sydney before continuing his Australian tour in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Adelaide.

It’s fascinating how Sheeran turned a stressful, long-running legal battle into creative inspiration. It’s a reminder that even difficult moments can lead to art that connects with fans. What do you think about his decision to ditch his phone and find inspiration through reflection? Share your thoughts in the comments.