Ed Sheeran has claimed that he identifies culturally as Irish despite the fact he was born and raised in England.
Despite being born in Suffolk, the singer also has a large Irish family and revealed that he used to spend his holidays in the country during his childhood.
Speaking on The Louis Theroux Podcast, Ed Sheeran has stated that he is immensely proud of his Irish roots.
"I class my culture as Irish. I think that's what I grew up with," Sheeran said. "My mum’s family is very, very small, it’s her and her parents, and my dad’s family is… he’s got seven brothers and sisters".
He continued: "We’d spend all of our holidays in Ireland. My first musical experiences were in Ireland, I grew up with trad music in the house. So I identify culturally as Irish, but I was obviously born and raised in Britain.
"I do feel like my culture is something that I’m really proud of and grew up with and want to express", the Shape Of U singer added. "And I feel like just because I was born in Britain doesn’t necessarily mean that I have to just be (British), there’s loads of people I know that are half this or quarter this".
"I don’t think there’s any rules to it. It should be how you feel and how you were raised and what you lean into".
When asked if he gets a "lot of love" from Irish fans, Ed Sheeran replied: "I’d say it’s basically my second home musically. I’d say Ireland is the place that I am most successful musically".
Elsewhere, Ed Sheeran opened up about the downside of fame, saying that he is "really sensitive" to people taking pictures of his children.
Sheeran, who shares two children with his wife Cherry Seaborn, said: "My first daughter, six weeks after she was born, we hadn’t sent any photos of her whatsoever, but there was paparazzi outside our house that got a photo of her, and it was in the paper and I just found it weird that some strange old man that I’d never met was the only person with an image of my kid on their device.
"It’s a strange trade-off because, obviously, to be successful in the music industry, you end up being rich, famous and successful, and those things are things that people go, 'Well, that’s the trade-off", he added. "But my kids have not signed up to that, and I find it weird that it’s normal to take pictures of other people’s children if they’re famous".
Lastly, the singer revealed that he does not own a private jet, and prefers to travel via train.
"I like the environment, I like trees. I’d find it hard to justify. No one’s perfect. When we’re doing intense promo trips, there will be the odd time", he said.
Back in April, Ed Sheeran was named on Time Magazine's Most Influential People, a list which included Irish singer, Hozier. More on this here.
