Sir Rod Stewart says Ed Sheeran's music won't stand the test of time but George Ezra's will

Sir Rod Stewart has suggested Ed Sheeran's music won't stand the test of time but that George Ezra will 'be around for quite a while'. Ed, 32, is one of the best-selling solo artists of all time and 2017's 'Shape Of You' is the second most-streamed song of all time on Spotify with over 3.78 billion listens.

In a recent interview with The Times, the 79-year-old singer was asked whether timeless songs are still being made by current artists. “I'm sure they are," Stewart remarked.

“I like whatshisname… He’s British, really talented and his songs will be around,” he continued. But when the interview asked if he was talking about Ed Sheeran, Stewart made his feelings clear about the 'Bad Habits' singer.

“No, not Ed, I don’t know any of his songs, old ginger b*******"," Stewart said. After a brief pause, Stewart recalled the 'timeless' artist as George Ezra.

"Yes! I think he writes really tremendous songs. He’ll be around for quite a while," he added. The former Faces frontman also used his own song 'Maggie May' as an example of a song that has stood the test of time.

Rod Stewart is set to release Swing Fever, a big band covers album made with Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, on February 23. The album will see the pair cover classic swing and big band standards, including ‘Ain’t Misbehavin'.

Swing Fever is a stylistic departure for Stewart who is known for his classic rock songs such as 'You Wear It Well' and 'Sailing'.

Ed Sheeran released his seventh studio album, Autumn Variations, in 2023. The album debuted as Sheeran's seventh number-one on the UK Albums Chart.