Ed Sheeran says he “didn’t really like” his song Photograph

Despite initial reservations, "Photograph" became one of his biggest hits, amassing over 2 billion streams on Spotify.

It has been a decade since Ed Sheeran released his hugely successful album, "x," featuring enduring hits like “Photograph,” “Thinking Out Loud,” “Don’t,” and “Sing.”

Prior to his headlining performance at the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation Blue Diamond Gala on May 2nd, the 33-year-old Grammy-winning artist reflected on the album's 10th anniversary.

“I think at the time you don’t really realize what’s happening,” Sheeran told Billboard.

“You go from one song to the next song to the next song. At the time, I was just happy that people are liking the songs and now I look back at the album, and it’s an album people really liked, which I guess is good. It took me from arenas to stadiums and I feel like it was such an important album in my career.”

Surprisingly, Sheeran revealed that he had to warm up to one of the album’s biggest hits. “I remember ‘Photograph’ taking a really long time to get production right. It look a long while,” he recalls.

“That was the song that I didn’t really like at first because we spent so much time doing it and it ruined it. Now, I can look back and enjoy the process.”

Despite his initial reservations, "Photograph" became one of Sheeran’s biggest hits, winning him a BMI Pop Award and earning a nomination for an iHeartRadio Music Award in 2016. The song has also amassed over 2 billion streams on Spotify.

Since the release of "x," Sheeran hasn’t slowed down. He followed up with albums like 2017’s ÷, 2021’s =, and 2023’s –, along with collaborations on projects like 2019’s No. 6 Collaborations Project and his most recent release, Autumn Variations.

“It’s important to never do the same thing twice,” Sheeran stated about keeping his career exciting over the years.

“Musically, I’m always like, ‘Have I said this before? Has a song sounded like this before?’ It’s less about what other people are doing, and more about what I’ve already done and constantly doing something different.”

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of "x," Sheeran will release "x (10th Anniversary Edition)" on June 21st. The expanded version will feature the original 12 songs along with nine bonus tracks, none of which have ever been available on vinyl before.