Ed Sheeran reflects on a decade of unhappiness: Work consumed my life

Global pop icon Ed Sheeran has opened up about the struggles he faced during the early years of his career, revealing that the relentless pursuit of success left him “intensely unhappy” and without balance in life.

Now 34, Sheeran admits that his meteoric rise came at the cost of personal happiness. Speaking candidly, the Shape of You hitmaker said, “I think in the first decade of my career I was intensely unhappy as I had no balance, I was just work, work, work. And yes, everything was hyper-successful, but it was hyper-successful because I had no personal life at all.”

Sheeran, who broke onto the global stage in his early 20s, said his life then revolved solely around writing, recording, and touring. “Work was everything,” he confessed, explaining how the intensity of that period left little room for meaningful relationships or simple joys outside of music.

However, marriage and fatherhood have brought about a profound shift. With his wife Cherry Seaborn and their daughters Lyra, 5, and Jupiter, 3, Sheeran has discovered what he describes as a healthier, more fulfilling balance. “Being able to spend time with my friends and family — that has now become 70 percent of my life, and work is like 30 percent. Before, it was 100 percent and zero anything else,” he said. The Grammy winner now defines success not by record sales or streaming numbers but by his ability to be present as both a husband and a father. “The balance of getting to exist as a human being rather than just a pop star machine — that would be my measure of success,” Sheeran emphasized.

Reflecting on the sacrifices of his twenties, Sheeran acknowledged the toll it took on his mental health. “To be that successful in my 20s, you have to give everything of yourself all day, every day, and there’s a time limit to that, sanity-wise. I see it now, and when I hang out with new artists who are in the zone it just compounds the feeling for me of being, ‘That ain’t me anymore’.”

He also noted that young artists often feel compelled to push themselves to the limit, working 16-hour days without pause. While Sheeran understands the necessity of that phase, he insists that family has redefined his priorities. “You have to do that at some point in life, but at some point you have to just take your foot off the gas a little bit, especially when you have children,” he explained.

Today, Sheeran describes himself as “happy and settled,” finding joy in both his music and his personal life. For the singer, true success now lies not in topping charts but in balancing artistry with fatherhood.