Ed Sheeran reveals hundreds of previously unseen photos including snaps with Niall Horan and Rory McIlroy

Irish Independent

02-05-2025

Today at 04:03
Ed Sheeran has revealed hundreds of previously unseen photos of fellow stars and celebrities taken from an old phone.
To promote his appropriately named upcoming single, 'Old Phone' the singer offered fans a glimpse into the past through a new Instagram account under the username @teddysoldphone.
He has been posting numerous throwback pictures that feature among others, One Direction stars Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson from their early years
One selfie of the Perfect singer is taken with "Nialler" in Las Vegas while another post shows him driving to the Teen Awards.
There are also pictures of pizza parties with Usher and Taylor Swift, as well as a murky photo of former US president Bill Clinton.
Some of the snaps captured very boozy moments from his heyday including one where Ed is seen smoking cigarettes and drinking beers with Bruno Mars and Ellie Goulding.
Others capture an iconic backstage moment with Ellen DeGeneres, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and Brad Pit.
In another, a very young Ed and Taylor Swift comes with the caption: 'Always pulled a face in a selfie, this pic was no different".
In one featuring Justin Bieber, he has written: "2014, found out Bieber really liked my music, sent him love yourself soon after".
There is one of Ed and Harry Styles at the 2012 London Olympics shortly before turning down an invite to party with George Michael.
"Me, Haz and Richard at the Olympic closing ceremony,' he explained. 'I chose getting a kebab afterwards over going to George Michael's house for a party. Live and learn.'
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He also meets one of his heroes, Robert De Niro in Vegas, 'a real classy bloke" and in another he is pictured standing alongside Rory McIlroy.
Explaining the reasoning behind the new account, Ed wrote in a new Instagram post: 'Put the sound on and have a listen. I got rid of my phone in 2015, and moved onto email full time. I just turned my phone off on December 15 and that was it.'
When he switched it back on: 'The first message was from my friend Jamal Edwards, who had recently passed away. The second was from my ex girlfriend who I hadn't been in contact with for years. The third was a family member I haven't spoken to in a decade. And so on.'
He wrote: 'It felt like a time capsule, a time of life that I was in, and living at that time in 2015. Turning it on really spun me out, I found myself scrolling messages and conversations with people who are no longer here.'
In March of this year, the English singer, who has Irish roots on his father's side of the family, opened The Old Phone 50km north of Boston in Ipswich, Massachusetts.
The bar, which is the setting for the music video for his upcoming album Play, was open for one weekend only.
The bar, described as 'a cosy, warm, and inviting Irish pub' it is a place 'where memories are celebrated and new ones are made'.
Sheeran expressed his excitement at the time, telling The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: "It's gonna be cool. We're serving like Guinness and like tater tots and It's gonna be so cool."
His highly-anticipated eight album is due to be released later this year.
He said the LP is one of five new albums in the works, and said the next four will be called Pause, Rewind, Fast Forward, and Stop.
The albums will complete the cycle he began with his first five albums titled +, x, ÷, =, and –.
He said he was inspired by Quentin Tarantino's idea of crafting a 10-film legacy.
The lead single 'Aziam' was released on April 4.