When Ed Sheeran‘s album Play dropped on Friday, Myles Smith, who’s been opening for Ed all summer, wrote on his Instagram Story, “Proud of you bro keep inspiring.” But those weren’t empty words: Ed was Myles’ biggest musical influence as a kid, and he’s the one who inspired him to start writing songs.
“I must’ve been about 12 or 13, listening to Ed Sheeran when Plus came out,” Myles tells ABC Audio. “And I think that, although I didn’t necessarily have the comprehension to understand all of those emotions at that age, the music still really spoke to me.”
The “Stargazing” singer also credits Ed’s music with sparking his own music career.
“It just inspired me to want to put my own stories and own narratives together, to be able to convey feelings that I was feeling, however … terrible [those early ideas] were,” Myles says.
“I think that it was a real inspiration for me just to get going with it because I feel like it was one of the first instances I really connected with music at that level. And I think Ed, for me, always inspired songwriting and being able to do it from an honest and vulnerable place.”
Myles, who’ll release his new song “Stay (If You Wanna Dance)” on Sept. 26, recently reflected on the end of Ed’s Mathematics tour, for which he opened 30 shows.
“To call someone your hero as a kid… and then end up walking out on stage with them every night as an adult, it’s something I still can’t wrap my head around,” he wrote on Instagram.
“Ed, thank you,” he added. “For letting me share your stage, for the kindness you’ve shown, for showing me how much music can mean when you give all of yourself to it.”
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