The lawsuit against Sheeran alleges that the singer took portions of Marvin Gaye's 'Let's Get It On' for his song 'Thinking Out Loud.'
Ed Sheeran just made a major revelation during his testimony in the ongoing copyright lawsuit against him.
During testimony Thursday, Sheeran revealed that he cannot read music. After sharing his occupation, marital status and dropping a few big industry names he's written for -- Justin Bieber, BTS, The Weeknd, Taylor Swift and Elton John to name a few -- Sheeran shared that he not only can't read music but also doesn't have a degree in the field.
In discussing how his love for song began, the "Perfect" singer said he learned about music as a child from his church choir, noting that he first started songwriting at the age of 13 while on a trip to Ireland with his father. But it was Eric Clapton's performance of "Layla" at the late Queen Elizabeth II's Jubilee in 2002, that inspired him to pick up a guitar and pursue performing as a career.
Sheeran said he left school at the age of 17 and started playing gigs, covering songs at weddings before joining his first U.K. tour in 2009 with British singer Just Jack. Noting that his mom wanted him to continue his education, Sheeran said he got much more support from his dad when it came to starting out in the music biz.
The lawsuit against Sheeran, which kicked off earlier this week, alleges that the singer lifted portions of Marvin Gaye's iconic song "Let's Get It On" to use in his song "Thinking Out Loud."
Towards the end of his testimony Thursday, Sheeran said he disagreed that this song "Thinking Out Loud" was a copy of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On."
He testified about his writing process and even picked up his guitar while on the stand and started playing the chord progression of "Thinking Out Loud" before singing one of the lines: "When your legs don't work like they used to before."
Sheeran similarly defended the track during his testimony on Wednesday, where he addressed a video that had been submitted as evidence, showing him performing a mash-up of "Thinking Out Loud" and "Let's Get It On" at a concert.
"I mash up songs at lots of gigs. Many songs have similar chords. You can go from 'Let It Be' to 'No Woman No Cry' and switch back," Sheeran argued. "And quite frankly, if I’d done what you’re accusing me of doing, I’d be quite an idiot to stand on a stage in front of 20,000 people and do that."
Despite adamantly coming to his own defense in the matter, an eyewitness tells ET that Sheeran was in good spirits.
"Ed enjoyed lunch in the public courthouse cafeteria with his team. He seemed to be in a good mood. He was taking time to chat with the various members on his team and it all seemed very lighthearted," the eyewitness shares. "He brought lunch in a plastic container again and sipped on a hot beverage in a paper coffee cup."
Testimony wrapped Thursday afternoon with Sheeran due back in court on Monday.
Reporting by Brian Matthews.
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