Ed Sheeran is making a bold confession about the 40th-anniversary mix of Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas?
The Suffolk singer, who appeared in the band alongside One Direction, Sam Smith, and Chris Martin from Coldplay, revealed that he would have “respectfully” declined the invitation to participate in the charity song, citing concerns about foreign aid in Africa.
The 33-year-old singer took to his Instagram Stories, expressing disappointment in the band’s decision to move forward with his vocals.
He wrote in the caption, “My approval wasn’t sought on this new Band Aid 40 release and had I had the choice I would have respectfully declined the use of my vocals.
“A decade on and my understanding of the narrative associated with this has changed, eloquently explained by @fuseodg. This is just my personal stance, I’m hoping it’s a forward-looking one. Love to all x.”
The track pays homage to the previous editions of the song, including Band Aid (1984), Band Aid 20 (2004) and Band Aid 30 (2014), as well as it aims to blend voices of Harry Styles, George Michael, U2’s Bono and Martin.
Sheeran referenced Ghanaian-English singer and rapper Fuse ODG,, who previously worked with the Shape Of You hitmaker on Boa Me.