Ed Sheeran’s legal victory should set a precedent and scare off pretentious pretenders
I GOT a sense of deja vu yesterday when Ed Sheeran defeated a copyright lawsuit against him for the second time.
The ridiculous row over supposed similarities between his 2014 hit Thinking Out Loud and Marvin Gaye’s 1973 song Let’s Get It On, is now, at long last, over for good.
A judge in Manhattan’s federal court in the US dismissed the case, ruling that the late soul legend’s track was a “basic musical building block” and so too common to merit protection.
Ed won a separate jury trial over the songs in the same court earlier this month, but yesterday’s ruling means he can finally move on.
The case has brought him untold stress and upset.
While being forced to fight to defend his reputation, he was also supporting his wife Cherry through illness and coming to terms with the loss of two of his closest friends.
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Sadly, the first court case even meant Ed missed out on attending his grand-mother’s funeral.
Rather than lash out following the first ruling, which would have been more than understandable, the superstar chose instead to issue a powerful statement on the steps of the court.
As part of his rousing narrative he implored people to quit making their bogus claims — calling the practice “dangerous” and an act which could mean saying goodbye to “the creative freedom of songwriters”.
I could not agree more with Ed’s comments.
As the editor of this column for three years, I have interviewed some of the world’s greatest song-writers and musicians, Ed included. He is genuinely one of the most talented songwriters to have come out of this country.
And given his collaborations with so many acts, including Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and The Weeknd, it is clear that plenty of big names in the industry agree with me.
Seeing a talent such as Ed forced to defend his integrity against such embarrassingly weak and feeble claims is just disgraceful.
What’s more shocking is the fact that this case was even allowed to get this far in the first place.
Much more needs to be done to protect artists such as Ed and to weed out the pretenders who waste years of people’s precious time by bringing copyright claims that will inevitably be shown up as what they are — total bulls***.
We can only hope Ed’s case now sets a precedent and shows the fakers that, no matter how long it takes, the truth will always come out.
Maya has sheer chic
HERE’S MAYA JAMA on a curls’ night out as she shows off a striking new hairdo.
The Love Island host teamed it with a psychedelic dress from French designer Jean Paul Gaultier.
Maya earlier got ready for her night out with a face mask, then showed off her new look as she went for a meal at upmarket Mediterranean restaurant Bacchanalia, in London’s Mayfair.
She will soon be splitting her time between London and Majorca, with the new series of Love Island kicking off on June 5 and her on presenting duties.
Normally I would prefer to watch paint dry than give any of the desperate wannabes – sorry, islanders – the time of day, but with Maya at the helm I might have to give it a try.
She has proved a hit since she took over from her talentless predecessor – think blonde, annoying and very much banned from my column – and I’m not surprised as to why.
Maya is as bright as she is beautiful and since leaving Radio 1 in 2020 she has made some pretty savvy career choices – including signing a mega-money deal to be the face of cosmetics brand Rimmel.
I’ll enjoy watching her rise and rise.
Lewis album is heavenly
LEWIS CAPALDI made no secret of his struggle to write the follow-up to his record-breaking debut album Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent.
The album has already spawned three No1 singles in Wish You The Best, Forget Me and Pointless, so you would be forgiven for assuming the rest of the record might include a fair few filler tracks.
But I’m happy to report that each remaining song on the record could easily hold its own in the charts, thanks in part to the searing rawness of Lewis’s vocals and lyrics.
I recommend Any Kind Of Life and The Pretender, where Lewis sings: “I can wear a million faces, ’cos I don’t like the one underneath, always found it easy to fake it, I’ll be anybody but me.”
Despite fame and chart success coming at a cost to both his mental and physical health, Lewis has vowed to continue with a career in music.
He said: “I don’t think this will be the last album. Right now I’m at a point where I can balance my mental health and how I feel in general.
“Not even just mental health, but the trade-off is worth it.
“I’ll take a few panic attacks and my Tourette’s and stuff for what’s happening. But if it gets to the point where things get worse mentally and I stop looking after myself in that regard, I think that would be a point where I’d be like, ‘I’m just not going to do this any more’.”
Talking to Rebecca Judd on Apple Music, he added: “On this album in particular, I talk a bit more about my mental health, which has taken a beating over the last little while.
“My mental health issues are a direct symptom, I guess, of my job.”
Just keep taking care of yourself, Lew.
That is the most important thing.
Indie girl Phoe
PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE looked every inch the film star as she arrived for the premiere of Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny at Cannes Film Festival.
The actress, who plays Indiana’s god-daughter Helena Shaw, wore a chic black dress alongside Indie himself, Harrison Ford, who received a lifetime achievement award at the glitzy celebration in the South of France.
The film, which is out on June 30, is the first major screen role for Phoebe, who made her name in her brilliantly funny BBC series Fleabag and then through her writing on the first series of Killing Eve.
She hit the big time after being brought on board the James Bond franchise, helping to write Daniel Craig’s final appearance in 2021’s No Time To Die. Phoebe is now working on Amazon’s Tomb Raider TV series.
Everything she touches seems to turn to gold, so I look forward to seeing where she takes Lara Croft.
Babes hot on heels
Sugababes have high hopes for their reunion, much like Siobhan Donaghy's lofty heels.
My exclusive photo shows her trying her best to stay balanced as she posed for photographer Rankin to celebrate Hunger Magazine's collector's issue, Timeslice, which is celebrating the publication's 12 birthday.
Interviewed alongside her bandmates Keisha Buchanan and Mutya Buena, Siobhan said: "As we get older you are expected to look a certain way.
“Then you look at some of these rock bands with guys in who are 80 and no one says anything.
"So maybe we can be there to show people that women can do it too."
In Timeslice, out on May 24 on global newsstands, Siobhan added: "It's good to come back and to feel this strong."
Leg up for the girls
WET LEG were the big winners at the Ivor Novello Awards, claiming the Songwriter Of The Year title.
The Isle of Wight duo Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers were championed by the academy following their self-titled debut album which brought us tracks including their cult surprise hit from 2021, Chaise Longue.
Yesterday’s ceremony, which honours the best songwriters, awarded the Most Performed Work to As It Was, written by Harry Styles, Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson.
It was a huge day for Raye, who picked up Best Contemporary Song for her No1 single Escapism.
She looked thrilled as she collected the accolade at the bash at London’s Grosvenor House hotel and went on to perform Escapism for the star-studded audience.
Charli XCX, who wore a black blazer dress on the red carpet, was honoured with Amazon Music’s Visionary Award.
Meanwhile, Sting, who also performed at the bash, was honoured with a Fellowship Of The Ivors Academy – the highest accolade handed out by the organisation.
He is the holder of seven Ivors and was celebrated with a medley of some of his best work before being presented with his latest gong.
Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Chris Stein were given the Special International award and Florence And The Machine won Best Song for King.
Conan's on track to the top
AMERICAN singer Conan Gray is about to hit the big time with his huge Eighties-sounding single Never Ending Song.
The ridiculously catchy song is out Friday and has been created with super producer Max Martin, who has worked on No1 hits for Britney Spears, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.
Conan, the best pal of Olivia Rodrigo, released his debut album Kid Krow in March 2020 just as the pandemic shut down the world.
He still managed to have a top 20 single here with Heather, but this new tune sounds like it has an even bigger future.
BILLIE EILISH has split from singer Jesse Rutherford.
The couple were together for less than a year.
Billie and Jesse were last seen together at Coachella festival in California last month.
But by the start of May had quietly gone their separate ways.
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Billie was at the Met Gala in New York alone, sparking speculation they were on the rocks.
Last night reps for Bad Guy singer confirmed the break up - adding they are still good friends.