Ed Sheeran finally spoke up after a week of controversy, but even as he admits to mistakes, critics call him out: ‘This is damage control’

Ed Sheeran has finally broken his silence following a week of intense controversy, taking to the stage in Philadelphia to address the fallout from dropping rapper Macklemore from his tour. It’s been a turbulent time for the singer, and his attempt to smooth things over has sparked a massive debate about whether his words were genuine or just a calculated move to save his career.

According to the BBC, the singer opened his show at Lincoln Financial Field Stadium by directly confronting the elephant in the room. Sheeran told the crowd, “I never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about free speech and the most complex political issue on the planet.”