My Conversation With Ed Sheeran

A couple years ago I had the unique opportunity of watching an interview with Ed Sheeran in a room of only fifty people. Whether you like his music or not, you have to wonder how anyone gets to the point of selling out 30,000 seat venues with only their voice, a guitar, and a loop pedal. 

So, when the interview opened up Q&A, I raised my hand. I had a nagging question I was dying to know the answer to.

“Did you ever have that little voice in your head that keeps telling you your crazy gamble on music isn’t gonna pay off? And if so, when did it go away?” 

I was expecting to commiserate with Ed and hear about how he overcame this common issue, but his answer caught me very off guard. Here’s what he said (I’m paraphrasing):

“Honestly, I never had that voice. When I was sixteen, I played my first pub gig and they paid me a hundred quid. I was only playing cover songs, but it occurred to me that I could just play music every night and make enough money to pay rent. So, after that I just played as many gigs as I could get. Sometimes three a night. I’d just go from one gig to the next. All I wanted to do was play music. Even after I started playing my own songs, I never really thought much about playing arenas or any of the stuff that’s happened since. In my mind, I’d already made it. I was playing music every night.”

I was floored. For someone like me who likes to think strategically and had a "5-year plan" for music, this wasn't the answer I was expecting. The guy just loves music. But it's not JUST this love that's made him successful. The love has fueled his burning desire to just get a little bit better at every side of the job. Every single day.

A little better at guitar. A little better at singing. A little better at songwriting. A little better at marketing. A little better at meeting new people. A little better at fan interaction. 

Anders Ericsson, the late Florida State professor Malcolm Gladwell got his “10,000 hour” rule from, talks about what it takes to be the best at something in his book “Peak.” The short answer – deliberate practice. Breaking down your craft into the tiniest pieces and practicing them over and over and over again. 

The key is remembering that your craft isn't just your instrument. It's everything that instrument opens up for you. Fans, bandmates, performance, writing, etc. 

It takes a lot of hard work to master anything, so let your deep love of the craft fuel the work. Don't worry about making giant leaps. Just ask yourself every day:

What could I do to get just a little bit better?