Shivers and Sheeran – Local musician gets credit on Ed’s new single
A Rathfarnham, musician who has a songwriting credit on Ed Sheeran’s new single, ‘Shivers’, has shared how her work with the pop superstar came about – and her plans to release new material.
Kal Lavelle, who grew up in Rathfarnham and attended Sancta Maria College in Ballyroan, is a seasoned musician who, before the pandemic, regularly played gigs around Ireland and the UK for many years.
It was during her time on the gigging circuit that she met Ed Sheeran, then aged 16 and relatively unknown, and struck up an enduring friendship that saw the two musicians later go on tour together.
A musician in her own right, Kal released her ethereal debut album ‘For the Loved and Lost’ in 2018 and is planning to release some new material later this year.
Now based between Dublin and London, Kal took some time out to tell The Echo about how the songwriting credit came to be, what her reaction was when she found out about it, and her future plans. How do you and Ed Sheeran know each other?
Basically, we’ve been friends for a really long time and we used to gig on the same circuit. I toured with him in the UK and Ireland, but when we met, he was 16. It’s amazing that we’re still friends now, even though he’s one of the biggest artists in the world. But he’s really down-to-earth. He’s genuinely a nice, authentic and thoughtful person. Fame can change people, but I don’t think it changed him.
How did your songwriting credit on his new single, ‘Shivers’, come about?
I have a song called ‘Shivers’ on my album. Ed and I had been emailing back and forth, and he emailed me and said, ‘I’ve got this song, and if I do anything with it, I’ll give you a credit’, because he said it was inspired by my song.
What was your reaction when you found out about the writing credit?
Ed sent me an email saying the song was going to be on his new album with my writing credit, and I just started shaking because I knew how big that was. It’s basically like being on a Beyonce or Adele album, that’s how big it is. When I first listened to his song, I thought, ‘Wow, this is a hit, this is so catchy’, and then I realised it was going to be a single.
The lyrics to your upcoming single, ‘Don’t Know How to Live’, were published in the book ‘The Breakup Monologues: The Unexpected Joy of Heartbreak’ by Rosie Wilby. What was it like to see your lyrics in print?
It was really, really great, because being in a book is a different medium to putting out music. Seeing my lyrics in the book meant a lot to me. That song is about grief, about the loss of my dad and struggling with the break-up of a long-term relationship. It was really hard to write, and I wrote it in the aftermath of my break-up. I didn’t want to write about it, but it was the only thing that helped me.
Do you have any plans to release more new material?
I’ve been writing, and I have ‘Don’t Know How to Live’ coming up later in the year. The people I’ve played the song to really like it, and it touches them and connects with them. I’m really excited about it. Ideally, I’d like to put out an EP next year.
What advice would you have for up-and-coming musicians?
I think the main take away is that they shouldn’t give up. At points when I feel like giving up, the universe always sends me a signal, and it’s always been that way throughout my career. Last year, I was contemplating giving up music and then this opportunity came along. And I think you need to make art – just create things with meaning and everything else will come with it.
For more information follow Kal Lavelle on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, or visit www.kallavelle.com. Ed Sheeran’s single
‘Shivers’ will be out on all streaming platforms tomorrow, September 10.
