U2 can be a good dad Ed

BONO’S PARENTING TIPS WERE SHEER MAGIC

Sheeran learned how to be a good pop star dad with (or without) Bono.

He reached out to the U2 singer when his daughter Lyra was born and ended up in a deep three-hour chat. Ed said: “When I found out (wife) Cherry was pregnant, I was like, ‘How do I navigate this into my career?’ And I’d just watched (U2 film) Rattle And Hum.

“And Bono was 28 and he finished his live tour at 29 and then had his first child. “And I was like, ‘This is the one guy I could relate to. So I got in touch, then we had like a three-hour chat and he is the sweetest guy. I’d never really bonded with him like that. “He was telling me about how he navigated being a father, like where his kids went to school and how they did tours and stuff.

“And I was just kind of taking it all in and he hung up the phone.

“And then I went through a deep dive of U2 on vinyl. So I bought all their records. I’d heard their records, but it’s different sitting down with headphones, closed eyes.” Having a child has brought Ed closer to his own dad. He told Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1: “There’s this eternal gratefulness and respect of being like, ‘I know what they went through and I’m still going through it.’”

He is back with new song

Bad Habits and imagined it as something people without kids will rave to on holiday. Ed added: “I want to go to Ocean Beach in Ibiza and stand on the table and pour vodka over myself. I’d have to ask my mum to look after Lyra.”

It also might spell the end of his legendary loop pedal, as he has a full band behind him these days. Ed laughed: “I’m sort of dipping my toe in because part of me goes, ‘I got to sell nine million tickets off the back of using a loop pedal.’ (But) I feel like the band’s fun.”