Ed Sheeran may be a singer that has sold out stadiums worldwide, but performing at the Super Bowl is still out of his comfort zone.
Taylor Swift, a fellow superstar and best buddy of Sheeran, has reportedly rejected playing the coveted Halftime Show. Playing the Super Bowl is often seen as a major milestone in the makings of a musical legend, but Sheeran says he’s not next in line.
Speaking with Andy Cohen on Andy Cohen’s Deep & Shallow Podcast on SiriusXM, the 32-year-old stated that he is unwilling to perform on the pitch. “The only way that I would do it is if I was joining someone else.,” he explained.
Sheeran is certainly a popular artist, so why doesn’t he want to do it? “I don’t have pizazz,” he says. Ed’s stage presence is pretty simple, usually with just him and an acoustic guitar on stage, which is a much more intimate performing style than the grandiose of a football stadium.
Sheeran referenced Prince, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry as artists much more suited to the Superbowl. “Like all of these amazing performers — I’m just not that. I’m not gonna have dancers on stage. I’m not gonna have fireworks and blah blah.” he explained. “I just can’t, that’s not me,” he concluded.
Ed stated that he would only ever play the Super Bowl show if he played a guest role, as artists like Bruno Mars, Bad Bunny, and many other musicians have done in the past, taking on a supporting role for the headline act. For that extra piece of pizzazz, “I could wear sparkles for it,” the singer joked.