Shortly after putting down his guitar for a mini-performance during his copyright trial over “Thinking Out Loud,†Ed Sheeran told a jury he may not be picking it up much more if he loses the suit. The English singer-songwriter is being sued by the heirs of Ed Townsend, Marvin Gaye’s co-writer on “Let’s Get It On,†who claims Sheeran’s 2014 song has similarities to the 1973 hit. When Sheeran was asked by his lawyer what would happen if he lost, he reportedly replied, “I’m done. I’m stopping.†He continued, “I find it really insulting to work my whole life as a singer-songwriter and diminish it.†Now yes, Sheeran was under oath, and yes, there sure are a lot of people who want him to quit making music, but he’s likely referring to the music-copyright implications at hand. Not to mention that, as he has been arguing for days in court, he’s a songwriter — and probably prone to a bit of exaggeration for art’s sake.
Regardless, it doesn’t sound as if Sheeran will be done with music for a bit: He’s getting ready to release his album -, or Subtract, on May 5, with a blockbuster summer tour behind it. After that, he reportedly has a lot more music in the vault, meaning we may have to hear his Florida Georgia Line collaborations first.