In a recent interview, Stewart discussed which present-day musicians, in his opinion, will endure over time — and Sheeran is not among those he mentioned.
During the interview with The Times, Stewart was asked if he thinks musicians are still producing timeless songs today. He replied:
“I’m sure they are. You mean like ‘Maggie May’? Songs that will be played in 50 years?”
Trying to remember a pop singer, he said:
“I like whatshisname. Oh f*cking great, Rod. Well done. He’s British, really talented and his songs will be around.”
When the interviewer asked if it could be Ed Sheeran, Stewart declined and referred to him as an ‘old ginger b*llock’:
“No, not Ed, I don’t know any of his songs, old ginger b*llocks. Jesus.”
Who Was Stewart Talking About?
After doing some thinking following the same interview, Stewart proceeded to sing the lyrics, ‘I’ll be riding shotgun,’ which the journalist identified as the hit ‘Shotgun’ by George Ezra. Apparently, Ezra is one of the names that would be around for a while:
“Yes! I think he writes really tremendous songs. He’ll be around for quite a while.”
Stewart Is Changing Genres
After more than 60 years of playing music, Rod Stewart is shifting away from the rock ‘n’ roll genre. In an interview with BBC Breakfast, the Grammy winner revealed his intention to explore the swing genre in an upcoming album, following his summer tour. When the host, remarked on the trend of rockstars performing at advanced ages, Stewart announced:
“I am actually stopping.”
His words were misunderstood as he was retiring, which he clarified a few days after the interview.
Stewart, who has dedicated the past six decades to performing rock music, is stepping away from the rock ‘n’ roll scene, though retirement is not on the horizon just yet. He fixed what he earlier said in a later interview:
“I’m not retiring. But I want to move on. I had great success with ‘The Great American Songbook,’ and I’ve just done a swing album with Jools Holland, which is going to come out next year, so I want to go in that direction.”
Despite this shift, the singer did provide a glimmer of hope to fans, suggesting that his break from rock ‘n’ roll may be temporary, expressing a desire to ‘leave the rock ‘n’ roll stuff behind, for a while.’
