Ed Sheeran has been navigating tough times in his personal life.
The singer-songwriter recently returned to Instagram after stepping away from the platform for a couple of months. But as he explains in a new video, Sheeran felt like he distanced himself from his fans and followers long before his break was official.
"I realize I haven’t been that engaged in my social media and my fan base online for the past couple of years," the "Bad Habits" singer said, adding in a whisper, "The things posted on this account might have got a bit boring. I’m sorry. That’s my fault."
The 31-year-old then explained the reason behind all of that.
“Just being totally honest, I’ve had some turbulent things been happening in my personal life," he continued. "So I just didn’t really feel like being online and pretending to be something I’m not when I wasn’t feeling like that.”
Sheeran, who shares two daughters (Lyra, 2, and Jupiter, 8 months) with wife Cherry Seaborn, didn’t get into the specific details, but he has endured notable professional turbulence in recent years.
Sheeran went to court to defend himself in protracted copyright battle after being accused of lifting parts of his 2017 hit “Shape of You” from Sami Switch’s 2015 single “Oh, Why.” He won the case in April 2022, but just six months later, he learned he'd have to face yet another copyright dispute.
Whether or not any of that was a factor in the struggles he hinted at, the music maker had an uplifting update for fans.
“Things are looking up," he said. "I'm back online."