Ed Sheeran says old texts from Taylor Swift inspired his emotional new song

Ed Sheeran opens up about his deep friendship with Taylor Swift and how old texts led to his latest song "Old Phone."

Ed Sheeran opened up about his longtime friendship with Taylor Swift, how often they meet, and how a nostalgic moment inspired his new song, “Old Phone.”

Appearing on the Call Her Daddy podcast on April 9, Sheeran, 34, said he sees Swift, 35, “probably like four times a year.” But when they do meet up, it's meaningful. “They’re proper sit-down, six-hour catch-ups,” he said. “I think that’s like a really nice way to do it.”

The friendship between Sheeran and Swift dates back to their 2012 collaboration on “Everything Has Changed,” which featured on her Red album. Sheeran then joined Swift on the Red Tour in 2013. Recalling that era, Sheeran said, “I literally spent almost every single day with her for about six months,” adding that those times in Nashville remain some of his fondest memories.

In the podcast, Sheeran also discussed how going through old devices for his Thinking Out Loud copyright court case made him revisit old messages—including those from Swift. This nostalgic deep-dive sparked the idea for his newest song, “Old Phone.”

“I hadn’t used a phone since 2015,” he explained. “Switching it on again felt like a time machine.” The texts included messages from late friends, exes, and estranged family members—memories that heavily inspired the lyrics to his new track.

Sheeran first spoke about this experience on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he shared how the court case required him to surrender all his devices—bringing up long-forgotten memories and sparking emotional songwriting.