Music
26 Apr 25

Ryan McMullan on working with Ed Sheeran: "There are no days off with Ed"

"You realise that you need to be on your game because Ed is such a quick writer. He's just so seasoned. If you don't get involved, you could quickly get left behind," the Down singer-songwriter said in the interview – available to read in full in the new issue of Hot Press.

In an interview with Hot Press for our latest issue, Ryan McMullan talked about his experience working with Ed Sheeran. "There are no days off with Ed," he said. "He's the hardest worker in every room I've ever been in. It's phenomenal."

The Portaferry native made these comments while discussing 'In the Room', the song he co-wrote alongside Sheeran for the soundtrack of The Delinquent Season, starring Cillian Murphy, Andrew Scott, and Eva Birthisle.

The collaboration came about as the two artists travelled together for Sheeran's record-breaking Divide Tour, which McMullan supported.

"We were on the tour and it was a day off in London and he was like, 'I'm going into the studio tomorrow to write this song for a movie. Do you want to come?'" said McMullan.

"It's just a different world. We were walking down a dingy alley in London and I was thinking, 'What are we doing here?' Then you open the door and it's this gorgeous studio. The guitar that I'm playing on was owned by Johnny Cash at one point. You take a little bit of energy from that sort of stuff.

"You realise that you need to be on your game because Ed is such a quick writer," added McMullan. "He's just so seasoned. If you don't get involved, you could quickly get left behind; he's on to the next verse before you've finished the next line."

The 'Bowie on the Radio' singer also discussed how Sheeran has often offered him guidance.

"Every time I see him he's got advice for me. He's so invested in what you do. We were in Germany and after I came back from selling merch he asked how I got on" said McMullan.

"I told him that I sold 50 CDs or whatever, and he said that the next night I should point to the corner where I'm selling my merchandise, and speak slowly because English is their second language. Over the next few nights I sold a lot more CDs!"

Elsewhere in the interview, McMullan discusses his mental health journey, balancing his music career with hurling training, the challenges of touring, and his short-but-versatile latest EP In This Room.

You can read the full interview in the new issue of Hot Press – out now, and available to order online below: