When Ed Sheeran talked to TIME for this week’s issue, the full conversation ranged from his go-to karaoke song (“Pony” by Ginuwine) and what will happen to his puppet alter ego for his “Sing” video (it will be used again, and then he’ll eventually keep it at home in a display box), to dealing with a break up (writing a song beats crying at home) and worrying that his album will leak (if it happened to Kanye, it could happen to anyone).
And, of course, the infamous Drake-lyric needlepoint.
The “started from the bottom” stitch sampler was created by none other than Taylor Swift, and was shown to the public in the Sheeran-centric MTV doc 9 Days and Nights of Ed Sheeran, which premiered June 10. It caused some Internet swooning among fans, but Sheeran tells TIME, there weren’t any other crafts exchanged:
Did you make Taylor Swift anything in return for the Drake needlepoint?
No, but I’m not a very crafty sort of person. She’s very crafty.
Obviously.
I know she’s 24 but she’s a sort of middle-aged woman trapped in a 24-year-old’s body. She hangs out with her cat and sews things.
How old are you, at heart?
My soul age differs from day to day. It can be 8 or 80.
Can you tell when you wake up which it will be?
It just depends on what I’m doing. If I’m working it’s usually pretty spot-on for work, but if I’m with my friends and the clock’s off I’ll go back to being young.
Sheeran’s new album, x,drops June 23.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Donald Trump Is TIME's 2024 Person of the Year
- Why We Chose Trump as Person of the Year
- Is Intermittent Fasting Good or Bad for You?
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- The 20 Best Christmas TV Episodes
- Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope
- The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Write to Lily Rothman at lily.rothman@time.com