His comments have caused quite the backlash!
Ed Sheeran has faced backlash following his candid interview with Louis Theroux, in which the singer claimed he 'identifies culturally' as Irish.
The 34-year-old, who was born in Halifax and raised in Suffolk before moving to London to pursue his dreams, recalled his childhood holidays to Ireland. He explained to Louis how his dad, one of eight siblings, is from Belfast. He was born to Nancy Mulligan and William Sheeran.
Ed admitted: “I class my culture as Irish. I think that’s what I grew up with.
“We’d spend all of our holidays in Ireland. My first musical experiences were in Ireland, where 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.”
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However, his comments were replied to with backlash from people saying he was not Irish.
One person wrote: “Identifies just means to pretend,” while another said: “Made a song called “Galway Girl” and now thinks he’s Irish”.
However, Ed has defended his statement on social media.
In a comment, he wrote: “For anyone with an opinion after what I said about my heritage on the Louis Theroux Podcast.
“My dad is Irish. My family is Irish. I have an Irish passport. The culture I was brought up around is Irish. The first music I learnt was Irish. Just coz I was born somewhere else doesn’t change my culture, I can be allowed to feel connection to a place half my family is from.”
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