He’s Ed and shoulders above rest

ELTON John has poured praise on protégé Ed Sheeran, saying: “He’s got a lot of balls.”

Sir Elton, 70, spoke of his pride at helping to manage Ed, 26, saying there are few as talented in his generation.

He backed Ed’s decision to take a year off to “refresh the soul” before making a stunning chart comeback.

But he warned him to watch his waistline “because he is very prone to put on weight, just like I am”.

Sir Elton said he loves hanging out with his “naughty” pal, who likes a drink.

And he reckons Ed will be a superstar for years to come and get even better when he plays with a band.

“He reminds me of myself when I started out, with his enthusiasm and his love,” said Sir Elton. “He’s always doing something, whether writing his own stuff or writing with other people.

“In 1970 when I first came to America, it was just all systems go. Nothing was impossible. You are working on adrenaline and the sheer fact that you’re a success.

“He started out playing people’s living rooms, busking, doing all that. So he has paid all his dues.

“And just the fact that he’s got the balls to go and do that in front of 90,000 people, at Wembley stadium, that takes a lot of balls. I’ve done solo concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York but I haven’t played to 90,000. That takes a lot of confidence..

“It’s like me, I still love what I do and I’m 70 years old. I love it even more.

“He has an enthusiasm that separates men from boys. When you have that immense enthusiasm and urge to succeed, it seems nothing can stop you.”

Sir Elton said that Ed stands out among his peers. “Just in the songwriting, for a start,” he said. “He’s a really great songwriter. And not just for himself. He writes melodies so simply.

“The unfortunate thing about Ed is that everyone sounds like him now: Shawn Mendes, Bieber, blah, blah.

“I just think someone who can write something like Thinking Out Loud – which Van Morrison would have been very yp proud to write, or I would have been proud to write – is a terrific songwriter. And you know you have to remember he’s still only 26 years old.” Ed took a year off to travel the world, regroup and write songs before his comeback. Sir Elton admitted he had grown sick of his “omnipresent” friend before his break. “I said, ‘Ed, even I’m sick of you. Go away’ – and he did,” he said. “He went to the Far East with his girlfriend, had a great time, put on a lot of weight and came back. I said to him when he went, ‘ Don’t put on weight’g because he’s very prone to put on w weight, like I am. “He came back heavy but he lost it all for the alb album. He just went away and had a grea great time. And it was the most brilliant thingt he could have done becau because it refreshes your soul .” S Sir Elton said he enjoys s spending time with Ed and admitted: “It’s a good thing he didn’t appear in the same era as I did, otherwise we’d be up partying for three w weeks together. “He’s not a big druggie. H He likes a drink and he’s just a lot of fun. All we do when w we’re together is talk about m music. Even though we’re de decades apart in age, we have eve everything in common. “I said, ‘Ed, just enjoy it – and you are enjoying it. You love every single moment of this.’ He’s worked tirelessly to get where he is. He’s never turned down a radio interview. He’s turned up at hospitals to play for dying girls on days off. He’s that kind of guy. I love him to death. He’s extremely naughty.” But Sir Elton warned: “I’ve said ‘Ed, you can’t keep doing this for ever. Sooner or later I want you to have a band to help you improve as a musician, as a songwriter and to move the show along a bit.’ “He’s a big fan of Ray LaMontagne. He said, ‘I’d love to do an album like Trouble.’ He’s got so many strengths. He’s huge with the hip-hop and grime communities. He hangs out with all those guys. There’s nothing he can’t do. “There will come a point where it won’t be the same. It happened to me and a lot of others. But he’ll be able to have a catalogue of songs that will keep him in the public forefront. I think you are going to find a deeper and more interesting Ed further down the line.” Sir Elton said that he was spellbound from first meeting Ed in 2009. “He’s got that inevitability of stardom about him,” he said. “He doesn’t look like a star and that’s what I love about him. He doesn’t conform to stardom. He doesn’t dress sharply. “He just loves his fans. He loves his music – and what you see with him is what you get.”