So ah… we don’t want to say that Ed Sheeran is following in the footsteps of Prince, but… Look, where he’s headed the forecast calls for a fair chance of Purple Rain, is all we’re saying.
Much like the dearly departed Purple One, Sheeran spends a fair whack of his time outside of his own touring and recording by writing tunes for other people on a fairly prolific level. He’s already penned tunes for the likes of the Biebs, 1-D, and Swifty Cent. But now it would appear that he’s cutting out the middle people altogether and putting together his own band as an outlet for the tunes that don’t quite fit the Sheeran-bill.
A new cover piece in Rolling Stone reveals that Sheeran is in the process of putting together a boy band “supergroup” that would play a whack of songs that he’s penned specifically for them.
Sheeran has been holding auditions for the group, which will end up being a “three or four” piece act, with plans to take them on a stadium tour with him as chief support, before he sods off into obscurity for a few years.
The Rolling Stone article notes that he is “in the process of auditioning members of a boy band he’s creating” and has “already written lots of songs for the group.” So sayeth Big Ed:
“[The songs are] really, really decent. Superpop, but obviously credible.”
“I’m gonna put three or four boys together and do all the songs, take them on the stadium tour with me.”
And as for Sheeran’s future touring plans, he has a remarkably specific ideal goal schedule in mind, inspired – somewhat oddly – by an American country music icon:
“I want to do stadiums everywhere. Like George Strait’s level – he tours every four years, does a couple of stadiums and then fucks off again.”
The last time George Strait toured the US he finished it up with a show at AT&T Stadium in Dallas that drew a crowd of 104,793 people. So, y’know, it ain’t the worst plan in the world, that’s for sure.
Ed Sheeran putting together a boyband is a great concept for a number of reasons, but mainly it’s because that somewhere, at some point, he’s memorised some synchronised dance moves. And the thought of King Ginger pulling off a side-to-side stage slide is immensely good.
‘Course it’ll never be able to hold a candle to the greatest boyband of all time…
…but then again what will?
Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty.
