Ed Sheeran sings and plays guitar on witness stand at Thinking Out Loud trial.

Editor Stephen Hill  29th April 2023

Global Star Ed Sheeran got his guitar out in a Manhattan courtroom on Thursday as he gave evidence in his copyright trial. The British star, 32, is being sued by the heirs of Ed Townsend, who was the songwriter who originally wrote the popular 1973 track Let's Get It On sung by Marvin Gaye.

The Singer performed a rendition of his hit song Thinking Out Loud as he took to the witness stand on the latest day of the trial. In court, the singer lawyer asked the singer how he came up with the song which led to Ed whipping out his guitar and giving the courtroom a musical performance.  

Sheeran then started playing the instrument to demonstrate how he came up with the lyrics and the chord progression.  Ed said signwriting was natural for him and that he could write up to nine in a single day.

The trial judge then adjourned court hearing  until next week.  Elsewhere in his testimony, Sheeran responded to a video that shows him segueing between Thinking Out Loud and Let's Get It On on stage, saying it was "quite simple to weave in and out of songs" that are in the same key.  The Suffolk-born global superstar also explained how joining a church choir when he was four years old fuelled his love for music, and that he left school at 17 to perform up to three times a night, playing anywhere that would have him, from bingo halls to restaurants to "anywhere nobody was".