“Make up your own mind”: Ed Sheeran slams music critics
Ed Sheeran has made a bold declaration that professional music critics are not needed in this day and age.
The British singer-songwriter was speaking with Rolling Stone about the shift to streaming and music in the digital age, when he suggested that critics are obsolete given how accessible music is these days.
“Why do you need to read a review?” he questioned.
“Listen to it. It’s freely available! Make up your own mind. I would never read an album review and go, ‘I’m not gonna listen to that now.’”
Sheeran’s controversial comments were met with mixed reactions, with some fans pointing out that critics have a much more varied role.
One music fan said, “Ok, except music critics aren’t just there for ppl to decide what to listen to?? Taking a deeper look at music thru a deeper critical lense [sic], both positive and negative, is a celebration of music as a whole if anything.”
Another added, “I don’t even think that critics are meant to sway the general public these days. It’s just a way for journalists to create discourse about music.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Sheeran also shared his opinion on dividing music into genres, “I think it’s not being bogged down by what you started off as.”
“I think there’s two genres. It’s good and bad. And I don’t think kids believe in genres anymore, either. Now it’s just playlists and kids are like, well, I like this song by this artist, and I like this song by that artist. And it might be a Skrillex song next to a Doja Cat song next to a Kendrick Lamar song.”
Image credits: Getty Images