How being music’s Mr Nice Guy contributed to biggest crisis of Ed Sheeran’s career

How being music's Mr Nice Guy contributed to biggest crisis of Ed Sheeran's career. ByMark SavageMusic correspondentPublished40 minutes agoSinger Ed Sheeran is facing the biggest controversy of his career after a storm over a decision to drop support act Macklemore from his US stadium tour following the rapper's on-stage pro-Palestinian comments.

What happened

"When it comes to non-musical issues, Sheeran prefers to remain circumspect. This week, that argument has come crumbling down – creating a crisis for his reputation and career. Music journalist Jeffrey Ingold said Sheeran's apparent acceptance of the decision to drop Macklemore seemed like "cowardice". "He is one of the biggest musicians in the world," Ingold told BBC Radio 5 Live. "Hours after Sheeran's statement landed, his tour went into crisis. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Ed Sheeran performing with Macklemore at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in 2014Could Sheeran have handled it better when the controversy blew up?

"Jem Aswad, executive music editor of Variety, says the episode shows "you can't be neutral on this issue" – but points out that most people don't go to Sheeran's concerts to be reminded of issues like Gaza, "they go there to stop thinking about it and be entertained".

The wider picture

Aswad doubts that this controversy will cause his career major damage, saying he doesn't think most of the criticism "is necessarily coming from Ed Sheeran's fans". On previous tours, Sheeran has been the only artist on stage – accompanying himself on a loop pedal instead of relying on other musicians. Like films about fictional pop stars that feature unconvincing music, it doesn’t help that the quickfire résumé of Lenore’s career only half-conveys her magnetism.

Sheeran tries to stay away from politics and controversy, but that stance has come in for criticism. Figure caption, Will Ed Sheeran cancel his tour as support acts quit? Sheeran is one of the most successful songwriters of all time. Today, he runs a charity providing music lessons to under-18s in his home county of Suffolk. He tries to stay out of politics – usually only getting involved to campaign for issues like copyright protection and ticket touting, or to raise concerns over the impact of Brexit on touring musicians.

What has been reported

"People thought that, because I didn't put myself behind him, I wasn't a Corbyn supporter," Sheeran told the Sunday Times. "If you knew me as a person, and listened to my music, you would be able to make a pretty educated guess that he would be the kind of person I really dig. His reasoning, he says, is that music should unite. Macklemore was picked as opening act on Sheeran's US tour, and on the first night made a speech saying "Free Palestine" and showing images of the destruction in Gaza.

Stadium owners, apparently led by the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots, Robert Kraft, put pressure on Sheeran and his promoters to drop him from the tour. On Tuesday, Sheeran issued a statement saying the decision was made by the promoters, not by him. "All support acts on Ed Sheeran's US tour quit after Macklemore droppedPublished2 hours agoMacklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran tour after 'Free Palestine' speechPublished1 day agoThe statement landed with a thud.

If Sheeran is so concerned about children, critics said, how come he hasn't mentioned the thousands of children killed in Gaza?

What happens next

Sheeran sang at the businessman's wedding in 2022, and in a subsequent interview called him "super sweet". Beoga – who back Sheeran to play songs like Galway Girl and Nancy Mulligan – also quit. Suddenly, against his will, Sheeran has become the centre of a political storm over one of the world's most divisive issues. So, Sheeran stumbled into a Catch 22 situation. His nice guy image has taken a huge dent, and the "not my responsibility" tone of his statement certainly didn't help.

"It's coming from people who object to the way that he's behaved in this [situation], and I'm not sure a lot of those people are really Ed Sheeran's fans. "We'll find out when Sheeran plays his next show in Philadelphia on Saturday.

The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across bbc.co.uk, theguardian.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.