Did you know there are artists who undergo social anxiety? 

Worldwide singer Ed Sheeran, opened up about living with a “crippling social anxiety”  in an interview with The Sun. Sheeran, 28, thinks out loud and describes how he performs in front of thousands of people, but feels claustrophobic. Sheeran said: “I don’t like large groups of people, which is ironic given I play shows to thousands of people.” 

He states how he just wants to be able to have a regular conversation with a person instead of always getting filmed or photographed. For this reason, Sheeran felt like the fame was causing him to feel disconnected, and he began to avoid going out. Sheeran just wants to be treated like a regular person, so he questions if his friendships are sincere or because he is famous?

“It makes me feel like I’m not human.  If you want to come up to me and have a conversation, even if we’ve never met, just come up. But what instantly cuts me off, is that you’re having a moment with people which is so genuine and so nice and then at the end they ask for a picture. 

 Sheeran admits that the anxiety causes him to always ask his newly beloved wife, Cherry Seaborn, why she married him. Sheeran and Seaborn have known each other since their childhood, grew apart and rekindled. They have been married for 5 months now. He mentions how he tries to balance his life and make more time for his wife and 4 pals. 

Sheeran says, “He’s working on bettering his social anxiety while trying to manage his fame. He recently released the No.6 Collaborations Project that includes Cardi B, Justin Bieber, Khalid, Stormzy, and many more. It’s available on all major music platforms.  

By: Jasmin Urquiza Montiel

Feature Photo: GMA