Ed Sheeran surprised fans in Sydney by sharing the unusual reason he has lived without a mobile phone for more than a decade. During the first of three sold-out shows at Accor Stadium, the British singer-songwriter explained how a copyright lawsuit changed his relationship with technology and even inspired one of his most personal songs.
The Lawsuit That Changed Everything
Sheeran recalled the $100 million lawsuit filed in 2015, which alleged that his hit Thinking Out Loud copied elements of Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On. The case dragged on for eight years before a New York jury cleared him in 2023. As part of the legal process, Sheeran had to hand over his devices. “All I’ll say is that I’m glad there’s nothing weird on them,” he joked to the crowd of 70,000. But the experience left a lasting mark.
Saying Goodbye to Phones
Sheeran revealed that he stopped using a mobile phone during his 2015 Australian tour for Multiply. “I switched that phone off and thought, ‘I do not want to use a mobile phone again,’” he said. Since then, he has relied solely on email to communicate. When he powered the phone back on years later for court proceedings, it felt like stepping into a time capsule. Old conversations with friends who had passed away and family members he hadn’t spoken to in years resurfaced. “It proper like spun me out. I was frozen in time,” he admitted.
Turning Pain Into Music
The emotional experience inspired Old Phone, a track from his 2025 album Play. Sheeran performed the song live in Sydney, explaining: “Whenever anything negative happens in my life, I write a song about it and it somehow makes sense of that bad thing.”
Love for Australia
Sheeran also expressed his affection for Australian audiences, recalling that the country was one of the first outside the U.K. to embrace his music. “Australia was the first place I had a hit outside of the UK … so I am super happy to start the tour here,” he said. The Sydney show featured fan favorites including Castle on the Hill, Shape of You, and Perfect. Sheeran will play two more Sydney dates before continuing his Australian run in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Adelaide.
