Rod Stewart made a small dig against Ed Sheeran in a recent interview with the UK’s Times. The classic rocker, 79, was sharing his thoughts about writing timeless songs, and he was speaking about up-and-coming artists that he felt were writing tunes that will stand the test of time. Unfortunately, he didn’t think that Ed, 32, was one of them.
During the interview, Rod was asked if he felt that any contemporary artists would have songs that would last for generations. He drew a blank on who he was trying think of. “You mean like ‘Maggie May’? Songs that will be played in 50 years?” he told The Times. “I like whatshisname. Of f**king great, Rod. Well done. He’s British, really talented and his songs will be around.”
While the “Maggie May” singer was trying to recall the songwriter’s name, the journalist suggested the “Shape of You” singer, but Rod showed that not only was that not who he was thinking of, but he’s not a fan either. “No, not Ed, I don’t know any of his songs, old ginger bollocks,” he said.
In case you’re wondering what singer Rod was thinking of, it was singer-songwriter George Ezra. He noted his tune “Shotgun” as a standout. “I think he writes really tremendous songs,” he said. “He’ll be around for quite a while.”
While Rod may not be a fan of Ed’s, he has gotten approval from plenty of artists both older and contemporary to him over the years. He’s shared the stage with huge modern pop acts like Shawn Mendes and The Chainsmokers in recent months. Outside of the pop world, Ed also got Slim Shady’s stamp of approval, when he brought out Eminem to perform a short surprise set at his Detroit concerts in 2023. The rapper made the surprise appearance to perform his hit “Stan,” while Ed sang the hook, and his signature song “Lose Yourself.” Ed also sang the hook on Eminem’s 2017 song “River.”