'I had no balance,' says Ed Sheeran, revealing he was unhappy during his career's first decade

Ed Sheeran, the ‘Shape of You’ singer, has been in the music industry for years, delivering hit melodies and unforgettable anthems. Having gone through multiple phases, the 34-year-old believes that he is in a better decade of his career than his first 10 years. The British singer thinks he was intensely unhappy as he had no balance in his life.

Ed Sheeran thinks he was unhappy during the first decade of his career

“I think in the first decade of my career, I was intensely unhappy as I had no balance, I was just work, work, work,” Sheeran said in an interview with The Sun, before adding, “And yes, everything was hyper-successful, but it was hyper-successful because I had no personal life at all.”

At this point in his life, Sheeran found his balance with getting married to his childhood sweetheart, having a family, and living around his friends. He spends the majority of his time with his close ones, and leaves the remaining 30 percent to engage in music. “Before, it was 100 per cent and zero anything else,” he added.

To become a successful star like Sheeran in his 20s, he had to give everything he could. However, Ed advised that there should be a limit to it. After looking at the fellow musicians in their early stages, he recognised that it’s not his life anymore and that he has significantly changed.

Ed Sheeran is living in 'Good Old Days'

“You know, work 16 hours a day and just be in it. You have to do that at some point in life, but at some point, you have to just take your foot off the gas a little bit, especially when you have children,” the ‘Sapphire’ singer added. He stated that he is living in those ‘good old days’ where, after being old, you recall the golden days of your life. He doesn’t want his kids to think that their father misses their entire childhood when they turn 18.

As for his career, Ed Sheeran recently released his album ‘Play’ on September 12, 2025.