Ed Sheeran Makes Rare Comments About His Family Life in New Songs

Ed Sheeran is opening up about balancing his family life and career in the deluxe edition of his latest album, Play. 

The 34-year-old musician seemed to detail the toll his three-year + – = ÷ x (pronounced “Mathematics”) Tour had on his relationship with his and wife Cherry Seaborn’s daughters, Lyra, 5, and Jupiter, 3, in one of his new songs, “Regrets.”

“You’re too young to understand that Daddy’s coming home. Every time I leave the house, you think I’m forever gone,” he sings in the song. “Guess it’s from the hundred calls, goodnights on the telephone. See this tour, I’ve gotta get it done, but why though? Missed out on so much, I really need to make it up.”

In his song “War Problems,” Sheeran also seems to candidly outline a few struggles within his marriage with Seaborn, 33.

“Every day we feel deflated. Tryna roll with all the changes. Reality of what we’ve created,” the lyrics state. “There’s no one above or below you, you are all I want. But I feel that it’s not enough, to just offer you my love.”

However, last month the “Photograph” singer told host Josh Scherer during an episode of Mythical Kitchen’s Last Meals that he felt he had found the perfect balance between his family life and touring.

“My girls have been on tour with me since [the] start of Mathematics,” he said of his 2022 tour. “I feel like my life only works when we’re together.”

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In fact, Sheeran made it clear that he didn’t think touring felt like an “obligation.”

“I really enjoy my career,” he explained. “I love touring, I love songwriting. Touring has gotten to a point now, because of where my career’s at, that it can fit around my family and I can dictate what I do.”

“So if I’m like, ‘I only want to play Saturdays,’ that’s what I do,” he continued. “If I want to play Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I can do that as well. But if that feels like too much, then I’ll just say, ‘I just want to play Saturdays.’ And I think being at a stage in my career where my family life takes precedent and I can do all that as well — it’s kind of the perfect balance.”

During a July episode of Kylie Kelce’s Not Gonna Lie podcast, Sheeran shared that Seaborn would often play their daughters his “old catalog stuff” while he’s away on tour. 

“When I’m away, she’ll play my songs to them to kind of introduce the music to them slowly,” he said at the time. “And it’s interesting, the ones that they gravitate towards. And it’s definitely the ones that all kids have gravitated towards, I guess.”

As for which song his daughters love the most? Sheeran said that “Sapphire” was by far their favorite. 

“They came to India when I made that record, and they were in the studio whilst we were putting all the tablas and santoors,” he recalled. “They were watching all of that happen. And I think because it’s just … I don’t know. They know most of the lyrics to that song now.”