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Ed Sheeran has announced he will step back from music once his current LOOP Tour finishes, telling fans he plans to take time off to focus on fatherhood.
Speaking on stage during the opening night of the North American leg of his tour in Glendale, Arizona, the 35-year-old singer told the crowd he may disappear from the spotlight for a while.
"This is gonna be my last time here in a while," he said. "I might take some time off once this tour has ended and sort of do the dad thing. So if I don't see you for a while, I love you, thank you for coming."
Sheeran, who shares two children with his wife Cherry Seaborn, has spent much of the year touring across multiple continents. His LOOP Tour began in New Zealand in January before moving through Australia and South America, with North American dates running through November and Latin American shows continuing into December.
The singer explained that the decision is driven by family life after years of intense touring schedules. "This is gonna be my last time here in a while," he repeated during the performance, signalling a break after the tour ends.
Sheeran has taken extended breaks from music before. In 2015, after the success of his album Multiply, he stepped away for several months. He also paused again between 2019 and 2021 following his Divide era, spending time away from public performances.
His current tour follows a long period of global activity, including his Mathematics Tour, which ran for years and spanned multiple continents. Despite the scale of his performances, Sheeran continues to present himself as a solo performer, often relying on looping pedals and minimal stage support.
The singer also recently made headlines after leaving his long-time record label following 15 years with Warner Music's Atlantic Records. In a public statement, he said the move reflected personal change, explaining it came from "a boy who started as a teenager on the company with different priorities, to the father-of-two man who exists now."
Sheeran's music career has seen him become one of the most-streamed artists in the world, with songs such as "Shape of You" among the most played in streaming history.
