CMAT HAS SAID Ed Sheeran “identifying as Irish” contributed to criticism against him last month after rapper Macklemore was dropped from his tour after voicing support for Palestinians.

All of Sheeran’s support acts, including two Irish acts, pulled out in solidarity with the US rapper after he was dropped from the tour. Sheeran later admitted he made “mistakes” and condemned the “catastrophic” situation in Gaza.

English-born Sheeran has regularly spoken about his Irish heritage and last year told The Louis Theroux Podcast that he considers “my culture as Irish”. 

While featuring on US late-night talk show The Daily Show on Thursday night, CMAT was asked by host Jordan Klepper about the controversy.

CMAT said that she thinks Sheeran “was given really bad advice”, adding that famous people can often be surrounded by people who make money off them and want to “uphold the capital value of their artistic product”.

“My hot take is that I actually feel bad for the guy because I don’t think he knew what he was getting himself into,” she said. 

The Co Meath singer said that part of Sheeran’s problem was that he “started identifying as Irish recently”.

“This is a man who surrounded himself with Irish people,” she said.

“He wanted to identify as being Irish, he wanted to reconnect with his Irish heritage, he wanted that to be part of his personal brand and music. He hired all these amazing Irish musicians and was supporting Irish musicians.”

“The problem then is if something like the issue of what I would refer to as a genocide happens, Irish people are going to hold you to account for that.”

She said that many artists are “doing much worse than him” but aren’t being held to account by people around him.

“A lot of people that aren’t saying or doing anything to help the Palestinian people are not getting it in the neck because they refuse to be surrounded by people who would make that issue for them,” she said. 

The singer previously called on artists to stop “sitting on the fence” after winning the Ivor Novello Award for best album in May. 

“I have no time, sympathy or empathy for anybody that decides to make life more difficult for people who are just trying to live, and that’s what this record is about,” she said at the time. 

CMAT performed the song Euro-Country from her 2025 album of the same name while appearing on The Daily Show. 

Thursday night’s wide-ranging interview also touched on the 2008 recession, as well as Irish peoples’ love for funerals and country music.

When Klepper asked why the Irish are so fond of country music, CMAT laughed and said: “I think… depression”. 

“Also we love stories and we love storytelling,” she said. 

“I think there’s something in the psyche that really likes to read and hear a story and listen to somebody talk about something from a very specific point of view,” she added.

The artist also said “funeral humour” is a big part of her songwriting process.

“You know when you’re at a funeral, and it’s the worst thing ever and you’re absolutely devastated, and then somebody farts. I kind of think that’s what songwriting is,” she laughed, adding that humour can be a route people use to cope. 

“I don’t want to be the type of musician who doesn’t say anything and doesn’t have anything to say,” she said. 

“I think I’m a very loud, gobby and opinionated ginger woman. If I wasn’t expressing myself through music I’d be lying, but at the same time I don’t want to be standing on a soap box every single show.”

CMAT said she likes to express her views in an accessible format by putting them into music.