As Sapphire goes viral, old video of Ed Sheeran talking about failure resurfaces: ‘Success teaches you nothing’

“Success teaches you nothing,” said Ed Sheeran in an old video, talking about the importance of failure. The video resurfaces on social media after the massive success of his latest release, “Sapphire”, with Bollywood singer Arijit Singh.

Sapphire is a part of Sheeran's album “Play”. The Punjabi version of their song will be released in the coming weeks.

In the video, Ed Sheeran weighed on the importance of failure and the lessons it reaches.

The singer said he feels annoyed that no one talks about failure anymore. “It's like failure is shame.” He added that the success, the lessons and everything comes from failures.

“There's nothing in success; success happens from failing, hundreds of times. You have to have people laugh at you and go, ‘Oh come on, get a real job’,” Ed said.

He also added that despite the failure and the people laughing at you for your choices, one has to “have belief that eventually, it is going to get better.”

In another older video that has resurfaced since Sapphire, Ed Sheeran is seen candidly embracing his past failures, sharing how each misstep has helped him grow and improve over time.

In the clip from a talk show, the singer shared an audio with the audience on how bad his singing was when he was younger.

Here's how netizens reacted:

Netizens resonated with the singer and said the advice was “solid”.

“Brother is hitting the solid ground. Talk to me sir,” a social media user said.

Another added, “Journey not the destination but it’s better if it’s what you dreamt for.”

“Such beauty the endurance and beauty to withstand the whole gift here not just half,” said a fan.

“Failure, failure, failure and the successes will come!!!!” another added.

However, a user said, “I think people listen about failures only after they succeed because they didn’t have the audience before that.”

Some users even had contradictory view and said, “He’s false. You learn a lot from success as well. Success teaches you what worked, what you can achieve if you don’t give up and work hard. You learn from both.”

About Sapphire

Sapphire has been described as a cross-cultural fusion. The track combines Western pop with Punjabi beats and features two of India’s biggest names: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and celebrated singer Arijit Singh.

Shot entirely in India, Sapphire's video takes viewers on a vibrant visual tour — from the majestic sets of Baahubali to the streets of Kolkata and Hyderabad.

Sheeran is seen travelling on local buses, dancing with locals, enjoying café moments, and standing quietly by the Hooghly river. Filmed in a point-of-view style, the video gives fans the feeling of being on the journey with him.

Ed also shared a heartfelt story of his collaboration with Arijit and called him “one of the most talented humans” he’s ever met.