Ed Sheeran Admits He Got 'Shut Down' for Aiming for Adele's Level of Success

Ed Sheeran sets high goals for himself. In early 2017, he declared friendly competition with Adele, "the only person I need to sell more records than."

"I’m not in competition [creatively] because we all sit in our own lanes," the singer told GQ, "but once the creative product is out there is a race to the finish line.”

In a new interview, set to air this weekend, Megyn Kelly asked about Sheeran's ambition to sell more than 20 million albums and top Adele's record.

"I feel like me saying this, a lot of people were like, 'That's such an arrogant thing to say,'" Sheeran says in a clip from their chat. "I think you need to choose someone that's at the top of their game. Like, I probably won't sell 20 million records. And I probably won't ever be as big as Adele. But if you don't aim for the top of the mountain, how are you ever gonna get halfway?"

"The problem is, my point never comes across with that. That quote is now just 'I want to be bigger than Adele,'" Sheeran explains.

"The word Adele is just something that no one should f--- with, basically," he admits. "If you put that in any sentence, prepare to be shut down."

Source: Billboard