Ed Sheeran shares message for flood-affected Kiwis, reveals his dream wedding playlist

Pop superstar Ed Sheeran has expressed his sympathy for Kiwis caught up in flood-related events - and has revealed what songs he would sing if he was ever asked to play at a wedding in Aotearoa.

The 31-year-old artist is in Wellington to play the first of two arena shows at the capital’s Sky Stadium.

In June 2021, the pop star put his hand up to play at former prime minister Jacinda Ardern’s wedding during a chat with The Hits hosts Jono and Ben, saying, “I would make myself available if I was free, to play her wedding.”

And he’s now revealed just what might be on the playlist if he were ever asked to play a wedding in Aotearoa.

Speaking to reporters from the stadium ahead of tonight’s show, he admitted, “I think if I was playing a wedding and I didn’t play Perfect, I think I might get laughed out of the venue.”

“So probably Perfect and Thinking Out Loud.

“But when I get wedding requests, it’s usually for some album tracks like Tenerife Sea or Kiss Me and stuff, that weren’t necessarily the big singles.”

While The Hits hosts themselves didn’t make it to Wellington to speak to the pop star ahead of the show, one young Kiwi got the chance to ask his pop idol a question on their behalf.

Ed Sheeran poses with young fan Graeson Gouldsmith. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Seven-year-old Graeson Gouldsmith from Levin got the chance to ask Sheeran for some advice on how to become more like his favourite pop star - but Sheeran’s advice was simply “be yourself”.

“Embrace your individuality - if there’s something weird and quirky about you, that’s actually something that’s good.”

Tonight’s show in Wellington will see a record-breaking crowd of 48,000 pour into Sky Stadium - the biggest concert it has ever hosted.

Sheeran is set to play Auckland’s Eden Park on February 10 and 11. But the sports stadium’s outer oval flooded after the weather event last Friday, raising doubts about whether the shows will go ahead.

And he shared a message to Kiwis affected by the flooding after last week’s torrential rain event.

“I think it’s been horrendous, and my heart goes out to everyone — I’m so sorry that that’s happened; I know that they’re trying their best to make the show happen.”

A spokesperson for Eden Park told the Herald today, “Like many parts of Auckland, Eden Park has been impacted by surface water as a result of the extreme weather in the region.

“However, our team are 100 per cent focused on delivering our upcoming calendar of events.”

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.