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14th Feb 2024

Rod Stewart slams ‘ginger b*llocks’ Ed Sheeran and says his music won’t stand the test of time

Charlie Herbert

Rod doesn’t think there’s anything ‘Perfect’ about Ed

Rod Stewart has given a savage verdict on Ed Sheeran, labelling him “old ginger b*llocks” and saying he doesn’t know any of his songs.

In an interview with the Times, the Maggie May singer was asked which present-day artists he thought would stand the test of time years from now.

He responded: “You mean like Maggie May? Songs that will be played in 50 years?”

“I like whats-his-name??? Oh f***ing great, Rod. Well done. He’s British? Really talented and his songs will be around?”

When asked if he was thinking of Ed Sheeran, Stewart replied: “No, not Ed, I don’t know any of his songs, old ginger b*llocks!”

Rod Stewart slams ‘ginger b*llocks’ Ed Sheeran and says his music won’t stand the test of time.

It turned out that the 79-year-old was thinking of George Ezra, who he said “writes tremendous songs.”

He added that he believed the Shotgun singer would be “around for quite a while.”

It’s impressive if Stewart genuinely doesn’t know any songs by Sheeran, considering some of the ubiquitous hits he’s had over the last few years.

With songs like Perfect, Shape of You, Thinking Out Loud, Galway Girl and Bad Habits, it’s felt like the ginger hitmaker has been omnipresent in our lives for the last 10 years – for better or for worse.

Love him or hate him, there’s little doubt Ed Sheeran has been a titan of the music industry. He’s had fourteen UK number one singles, every single one of his albums has gone to number one, and he’s cracked the streaming formula.

Whether any of his songs will have quite the same cultural impact as Rod Stewart’s is another question.

So only time will tell as to whether Ed Sheeran is labelled the ’21st Century Rod Stewart’ a few decades from now, or whether that title is bestowed to George Ezra.

Either way, it doesn’t sound like Rod will be listening to the next Ed Sheeran record.

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