Ed Sheeran and his wife Cherry Seaborn's daughter Lyra arrived into the world to the soundtrack of James Blunt's 'Back to Bedlam' album.
James Blunt and Ed Sheeran
The 'A Team' hitmaker has been pals with the 'You're Beautiful' hitmaker for a few years now, and he and his spouse share a special bond with the 47-year-old singer-songwriter and his wife Sofia Wellesley.
And Ed, with the permission of his other half, has shared the touching story of how they played James' 2004 album in the delivery room as they awaited the arrival of their first child in September.
While co-hosting BBC Radio 2 with Jo Whiley, Ed shared: "I actually asked Cherry if it was OK to talk about because it's such a personal moment. You said what was on the playlist for Lyra's birth. We both were big fans of James growing up and I've been friends with him for a few years. He came on tour with us and Cherry got really close with his wife and we are now very good family friends. And we find it quite weird because we love his music so much. We put on 'Back to Bedlam' in the delivery room and the album finished as Lyra was being delivered."
Another song that is close to the Grammy-winner's heart is James' 2019 ballad 'The Greatest', which is dedicated to his own two sons, the eldest of whom Ed is godfather to.
Before playing the track, the musician said: "And he has a song that he wrote for his kids that came on the moment that she started crying and screaming. It was the most special and magical moment. We never told anyone or spoke about it, I don't think any of my friends know about it. But when it was on the list, I asked Cherry, 'Do you mind if I play the song?' But it's just a fantastic tune and the moment for it is so special."
Ed shared how much the song means to his family now via email and he wrote back with one of his hilarious quips.
After the song played, he added: "It will forever be so special to me. I emailed him a couple of days afterwards and I wanted to let him know that that song is just a very, very special moment in my family's lives now."
Jo asked: "What was his reaction?", to which Ed replied: "Oh probably something quite funny, yeah. He usually has quite cutting, funny emails that he sends back."
Listen to the full interview with Ed Sheeran on the BBC Sounds app.
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