I GOT a sense of Deja vu yesterday when Ed Sheeran beat a second copyright lawsuit in the US.

The ridiculous feud, over supposed similarities between his hit Thinking Out Loud and Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On, is now finally over for good after a Manhattan federal court judge dismissed the case and ruled the late soul legend ‘s track is a “basic musical building”. block” and therefore too general to merit protection.

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Ed won a separate jury trial over the songs in the same court earlier this month, but yesterday’s ruling means he can finally move on.

The case brought Ed unprecedented tension and dismay.

While he was forced to fight to defend his reputation, he also supported his wife Cherry through illness and coming to terms with the loss of two of his closest friends.

Unfortunately, the first court case even meant that Ed missed his grandmother’s funeral.

Rather than lash out after the first verdict, which would have been more than understandable, the superstar issued a powerful statement on the steps of the court.

As part of his stirring narrative, Ed implored people to abandon their false claims, calling the practice “dangerous” and an act that could mean saying goodbye to “the creative freedom of songwriters”.

I couldn’t agree more.

As the editor of this column for three years, I interviewed some of the world’s greatest songwriters and musicians, including Ed.

He is truly one of the most talented songwriters to come out of this country, and given his work on other stars’ records including Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and The Weeknd, it’s clear they agree with me.

To see a talent like Ed forced to defend his integrity against embarrassingly weak and flimsy claims is disgraceful.

What is more shocking is the fact that this case even got this far.

More needs to be done to protect artists like Ed and weed out pretenders who waste years of people’s precious time bringing copyright claims for something that will inevitably be shown to be total bullshit.

We can only hope Ed’s case sets a serious precedent and shows the fakers that no matter how long it takes, the truth will always come out.

Hers goes Maya

MAYA JAMA puts a twist on her latest look by showing off her new curly hairdo.

The Love Island host donned a psychedelic gown by designer Jean Paul Gaultier for a night on the tiles.

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Maya showed off her new look as she dined at luxury Mediterranean restaurant Bacchanalia in London’s Mayfair.

She will soon split her time between London and Mallorca, with the new series of Love Island kicking off on June 5.

Normally, I’d rather see paint dry than give any of the desperate wannabes, sorry, islanders, the time of day, but with Maya at the helm – I might have to give it a try.

Maya has proven a hit since taking over from her talentless predecessor, think blonde, annoying and very much banished from my column, and I’m not surprised why.

Maya is as bright as she is beautiful and since leaving Radio 1 in 2020, she’s made some pretty savvy career choices – including signing a mega-money deal to be the face of Rimmel.

I will enjoy watching her rise and rise.

Lewis album is heavenly

HE has made no secret of his struggle to write the follow-up to his record-breaking debut album Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent.

But after hearing the record, Broken By Desire To Be Heaven Sentfully I can confirm Lewis Capaldi has cemented himself as one of the UK’s most talented singer-songwriters.

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The album has already spawned three No1 singles in Wish You The Best, Forget Me and Pointless, so you’d be forgiven for assuming the rest of the record would include quite a few filler tracks.

But I’m happy to report that every remaining song on the record can easily hold its own on the charts, thanks in part to the searing rawness of Lewis’ vocals and lyrics.

I recommend Any Kind Of Life and The Pretender, where Lewis sings: “I can wear a million faces, ’cause I don’t like the one down there, always found it easy to fake it, I’ll be anybody but me be.”

Despite chart fame and success taking a toll on both his mental and psychological health, Lewis vowed to pursue a career in music for the long term.

He said: “I don’t think this will be the last album. Right now I’m at a point where I can balance my mental health and how I feel in general.

“Not even just mental health, but the trade-off is worth it.

“I’ll have some panic attacks and my Tourettes and stuff for what happens. But if it gets to the point where things get worse mentally and I stop looking at myself in that sense, I think that would be a point where I’d be like, ‘I’m just not going to do this anymore'”

He added to Rebecca Judd on AppleMusic: “Especially on this album, I talk a little bit more about my mental health, which has taken a hit lately.

“My mental health issues are a direct symptom, I think, of my work.”

Just keep taking care of yourself, Lew. This is the most important thing.

Indie girl Phoe

PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE looks every inch the movie star as she attends the premiere of Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny at the Cannes Film Festival.

She wore a chic white suit on the red carpet in the south of France alongside Indie himself, Harrison Ford, who plays the adventurous archaeologist for the last time.

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Phoebe plays Indiana’s cousin, Helena Shaw, in the movie, which comes out on June 30.

This is the first major screen role for Phoebe, who made her name thanks to her brilliantly funny BBC series Fleabag and writing the first series of Killing Eve.

She then hit the big time after being brought into the James Bond franchise, helping to write Daniel Craig’s final appearance in No Time To Die.

Phoebe is now working on Amazon’s Tomb Raider TV series.

Everything she touches seems to turn to gold, so I’m looking forward to seeing where she takes Lara Croft.

Legs up for the girls

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WET LEG were the big winners at the Ivor Novello Awards after claiming Songwriter of the Year.

Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers were nominated by the academy after their self-titled debut album which brought us tracks including their cult surprise hit Chaise Longue.

The ceremony, which honors the best songwriters, awarded the most performed work to As It Was, written by Harry Styles, Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson.

It was a big day for Raye, who scooped best contemporary song for her No1 single Escapism.

She looked thrilled as she collected the honor at the festival at the Grosvenor House hotel in London yesterday and went on to perform Escapism for the star-studded audience.

Charli XCX, who wore a black blazer dress on the red carpet, was honored with Amazon Music’s Visionary Award.

Meanwhile, Sting, who also performed at the bash, received the prestigious Fellowship from the Ivors Academy – the highest honor bestowed by the academy.

He has won seven Ivors in the past and was celebrated with a medley of some of his best work before being presented with the gong.

Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Chris Stein received the Special International Award and Florence And The Machine was honored for King.

Conan is on his way to the top

AMERICAN singer Conan Gray is about to hit the big time with his huge eighties sounding single Never Ending Song.

The ridiculously catchy song is out on Friday and was created with super-producer Max Martin, who has worked on No1 hits for Britney Spears, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

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Olivia Rodrigo’s best friend Conan released his debut album Kid Krow in March 2020 just as the pandemic shut down the world.

He still managed to have a top 20 single here with Heather, but this new tune sounds like it has an even bigger future.

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BILLIE EILISH has split from singer Jesse Rutherford.

The couple had been together for less than a year.

Billie and Jesse were last seen together at the Coachella festival in California last month.

But by the beginning of May, they had quietly gone their separate ways.

Billie was alone at the Met Gala in New York, sparking speculation that they were on the rocks.

Last night reps for the Bad Guy singer confirmed the split – adding that they are still good friends.

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