Ed Sheeran doesn’t think he has the “pizzazz” for Super Bowl halftime show

Ed Sheeran has said in a new interview that he doesn’t think he has the “pizzazz” needed to pull off a performance at the Super Bowl halftime show.

• READ MORE: Ranking the 10 best Super Bowl halftime shows in history

Appearing on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, which you can watch below, Sheeran was asked if he had ever been approached to play the famous half-time show. He responded by saying that he’s only ever been asked to perform with another artist before adding that he didn’t think he had the “pizzazz” to perform on the stage.

He explained: “There was a conversation about 10 years ago to go on with someone, and I think that’d be the only way that I would do it at the moment,” he said. “I don’t think English artists are like — I mean, there are some that have the pizzazz of Super Bowl, fireworks, dancers, blah, blah, blah — but me going up there and being like, here’s ‘The A Team’ and here’s ‘Perfect,’ no one wants to see that.

“Whereas, if there was a show with a lot of that, say like if it was Beyoncé’s show and she had all the bells and whistles and then there was a moment where we sung ‘Perfect’ together, that makes sense to me. But me, I don’t know. I can’t picture myself doing it. Can you picture me doing it?”

You can see the interview in full here:

Sheeran went on to say that he thinks he could “nail one song,” but said that he didn’t think his songs would work well for the structure of the show. “The catalogue that I have doesn’t really lend itself,” he continued. “Have you seen me play as well? Because it’s with a loop pedal and you have to build the things. Doesn’t really lend itself to the Super Bowl. ‘Hey, hang on guys. I’ve just gotta set this up for two minutes.’”

This year’s Super Bowl half time show was headlined by Kendrick Lamar. Shortly after his performance, it was announced that it had become the most-watched Super Bowl performance in history, with the Compton rapper making history by becoming the first solo rapper to headline the coveted Halftime Show.

Meanwhile, last week (April 4), Sheeran returned with a brand-new single called ‘Azizam’.

The uplifting track marks the first official preview of the singer-songwriter’s upcoming album ‘Play’ – details of which will be revealed soon. Its title is a Persian term of endearment that translates to “my dear” or “my beloved”.

‘Azizam’ began in the studio with Swedish/Iranian producer Ilya Salmanzadeh (Ariana Grande, Charli XCX, Ellie Goudling, Sam Smith). He and Sheeran soon realised how much Persian and Irish folk music have in common, and how the latter could set those influences in a pop context.

“Azizam/ Meet me on the floor tonight/ Show me how to move like the water/ In between the dancing lights/ Be mine, be mine/ Azizam,” the artist sings on the hedonistic, technicolour single.

“Even though it’s completely different to anything that I’ve ever done before, ‘Azizam’ feels familiar to me,” the star explained. “I wanted to create a party atmosphere in a song and Ilya Salmanzadeh, who I worked with on the track, helped bring that to life. He was so inspiring to work with.”

Writing on social media, Sheeran added: “I wrote ‘Azizam’ after [Salmanzadeh] suggested trying out making music inspired by his Persian heritage and culture. I love learning about music and different cultures the more I travel and connect with people. It was like opening a door to a completely new and exciting world.

“I loved how a lot of rhythms, scales, melodies and instruments were different but similar to the Irish trad music I had grown up with. It was showing to me music connects us all, and really is a universal language.”

He went on to describe the forthcoming ‘Play’ as “playful, explorative, and celebratory”. Sheeran then thanked his ‘Azizam’ co-producers/co-writers Savan Kotecha, and Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid.

Sheeran confirmed that his new album was “done” last month. He later debuted a new song called ‘Old Phone’ during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. As part of an interview on the US chat show, the musician revealed the titles of his next five studio records, and teased plans for a posthumous album.

The musician also performed a surprise pop up show at London’s Kings Cross last week and covered Chappell Roan while disguised as an emo on a New York subway.

In other news, it has been revealed that Sheeran will play an intimate set at Coachella 2025.

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