Ed Sheeran Says He’ll Quit Music If He Loses Plagiarism Case
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Ed Sheeran is in the middle of a plagiarism lawsuit accusing him of copying Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” in his 2014 release “Thinking Out Loud.” Sheeran has reportedly said he plans to quit music if he loses the case.
Ed Sheeran Says He’ll Quit Music Over Plagiarism
“If that happens, I’m done, I’m stopping,” Sheeran reportedly told his attorney Ilene Farkas, according to The Daily Mail. “I find it really insulting to devote my whole life to being a performer and a songwriter and have someone diminish it.”
The family of Marvin Gaye’s co-writer Ed Townsend has accused Sheeran of copying parts of the 1973 song “Let’s Get It On,” and he’s being sued for $100 million over it. The singer has appeared in court in New York, playing parts of his song and talking about the songwriting process.
Lawyers for Townsend’s family apparently played video of Sheeran singing a mashup of the two songs in concert. Sheeran pointed out that he’s also mashed up “Thinking Out Loud” with other songs by artists such as Van Morrison and Dolly Parton.
“And quite frankly, if I’d done what you’re accusing me of doing, I’d be quite an idiot to stand on a stage in front of 20,000 people and do that,” Sheeran added.
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Sheeran Suggests He’d Be No One without Music
Interestingly, around the same time Sheeran said he would be “done” with music if he loses the plagiarism case, he also suggested that he wouldn’t be anyone without his musical talent.
Sheeran recently spoke with Gayle King at the premiere of his Disney+ docuseries Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All. At one point, King asked Sheeran, “Were you always this cute?”
According to People, the singer replied, “I feel like, if you strip away the guitar on the songs, then no one cares.”
It’s not totally clear if Sheeran said “the guitar on the songs” or “the guitar and the songs” (which is the phrasing in People‘s headline), but the singer seems to be suggesting that his music is what primarily attracts people to him.
In addition to promoting his new series, Sheeran is gearing up to release his fifth studio album on May 5, and he’ll also be guest judging on American Idol this Sunday night.
