Ed Sheeran Says Youth Ends When Grief Happens
Ed Sheeran attends 50th Anniversary Spirit Of Ireland Gala at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers on October 20, 2022 in New York City.
Ed Sheeran says that youth ends when you experience grief. As part of his Instagram “Subtract Sundays” series, the English singer-songwriter explored this thought with his new song, “End of Youth.”
Sheeran, 32, wrote, “I never really felt like an adult until the last few years. When heavy life stuff just starts happening. And it really hit me that this obviously happens to everyone, it doesn’t matter what age you are.” The artist continued to list the different kinds of grief people go through. “Friends of mine lost parents when they were teenagers, and they became adults instantly from the pure real life nature of grief.”
When it comes to the different types of grief Sheeran lists, like depression and anxiety, he says it “just ends youth and playfulness.” He offered the reason being that it’s “so real, and so final, so all-encompassing.” Ending his caption on a sad note, he adds, “This is the ending of our youth when pain starts taking over.”
In the video, Sheeran tells his 43 million followers that “heavy life stuff” can happen at 30 or 6 years old. He mentions the lyrics, “We spend our youth with our losing hearts wide open. And in the dark, it’s in the next, the end of youth.” With guitar in hand, he then begins to play a bit of “End of Youth,” the sixth track on his upcoming Subtract album.
One fan commented, “I’m just……… speechless. Subtract is already the most beautiful album ever.” Another fan shared, “I can still remember my ‘End of Youth’ at 16, the first real grief in my life ….. another beautiful, heartfelt song Ed.” Meanwhile, one fan said, “Every little piece of music that comes from you is so pure. Thank you for that.” Another commented, “This is the ending of our youth when pain starts taking over. That’s so f—ing real.”
Next Sunday, Sheeran will be featuring the 12th track, “Sycamore.” Subtract is the upcoming sixth studio album and the fifth and final entry in his series of albums titled with mathematical symbols. It is set to be released on May 5, 2023.
Ed Sheeran’s 10 Best Lyrics That Warm (Or Break) Your Heart
Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran knows how to make some of the saddest lines upbeat. His lyricism is top-tier, accompanied by his acoustic guitar and infectious pop melodies, and the Brit often strikes musical gold. Born Edward Christopher Sheeran on February 17, 1991, in England, he developed an interest in music at a very young age. He sang at a local church choir at the age of four. As we previously reported, Sheeran developed a stutter after undergoing surgery to remove a birthmark in his early years. He was gifted Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers album as a kid by his uncle. The album helped him to grow out of it. When he was nine, his uncle told his dad his nephew would be “the next Bob Dylan.” After learning the 2000 record and “rapping it back, to back, to back, to back,” it cured his stutter.
Sheeran’s Rise To Stardom
Gaining more confidence, Sheeran learned how to play the guitar and started writing songs when he was eleven. Two years later, at thirteen, Sheeran began recording music. He independently released his first collection of work, titled Spinning Man. In 2008, he moved to London, playing music in small venues and on the street. That same year, he auditioned for the ITV series Britannia High. Since the show’s producers were looking for triple threats, Sheeran’s dance skills proved to be highly uncoordinated, so he got cut. He wasn’t too torn up about it, able to admit that everyone auditioning really wanted to be cast.
He released another EP in 2009, titled You Need Me. He and fellow English singer Leddra Chapman recorded covers with each other often, including CeeLo Green’s “F— You.” In 2010, Sheeran released his critically acclaimed Loose Change EP, which featured his future debut single, “The A-Team.”
With seven studio albums below his belt, see which of our favorite Ed Sheeran songs warms (or breaks) our hearts.
Laila Abuelhawa is the Top 40 and Hip-Hop pop culture writer for Beasley Media Group. Being with the company for over three years, Laila's fierce and fabulous red-carpet rankings have earned her a feature on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert!' Her favorite stories are those surrounding the latest in celebrity fashion, television and film rankings, and how the world reacts to major celebrity news. With a background in journalism, Laila's stories ensure accuracy and offer background information on stars that you wouldn't have otherwise known. She prides herself in covering stories that inform the public about what is currently happening and what is to come in the ever-changing, ever-evolving media landscape.
