Ed Sheeran isn't exactly hitting the "play" button on the idea of blasting off into space. While the Grammy-winning artist was once offered the chance to perform what would be the "first gig in space," he swiftly declined—and here's the scoop on why.
"It terrifies me," Ed confessed about space travel in a Sept. 17 interview with Scott Mills on BBC Radio 2. "I want to go to space when it's as routine as flying to France, when 40,000 people have already done it, and you can just book your ticket online."
While some might leap at the chance to be among the first to showcase their talents beyond Earth's atmosphere, the "Sapphire" singer has zero interest in being a trailblazer. "I don’t want to be a guinea pig for that, because it’s still risky," emphasized Ed, who shares two children—Lyra, 5, and Jupiter, 3—with his wife, Cherry Seaborn. "There are places on this planet I haven’t visited yet. I’ve never been to Greenland—I’d love to go there. There are so many spots on Earth I’d rather explore than venture into space."
After all, the 34-year-old musician is more eager to watch his two kids grow up than he is to perform atop a rocket. "I’m not going to risk that for a Guinness World Record or anything like that," he pointed out. "I’m not going to risk my kids growing up without a dad."
But while Ed showed no enthusiasm for taking his musical talents beyond Earth's stratosphere, fellow musician Katy Perry saw things differently. In fact, earlier this year, she joined Gayle King, Lauren Sánchez, Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen, and Kerianne Flynn on an all-female Blue Origin space launch. During their four-minute sojourn in space, the 40-year-old didn’t miss the chance to sing Louis Armstrong’s "What a Wonderful World."
"I’ve covered that song before," she explained to Blue Origin at the West Texas launch site, "and clearly, my higher self was guiding the way because I had no idea I’d ever sing it in space one day."
"It’s about paving the way for future women," she added. "This is all for the betterment of Earth."
Though Katy has faced mixed reactions to her cosmic adventure, she’s made it clear that none of the negative online buzz can shake her. "Please know I’m okay," she wrote in the comment section of a fan account in April. "I’ve done a lot of work on understanding who I am, what’s real, and what matters to me. When the 'online' world tries to turn me into a human piñata, I take it with grace and send them love, because I know so many people are hurting in so many ways, and the internet often serves as a dumping ground for the unhinged and unhealed."
