Ed Sheeran is a British singer-songwriter. He is one of the most internationally successful artists of the present day, has won numerous prestigious music awards and has already broken many records with his records and tours.
Ed Sheeran was born on 17 February 1991 in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. He soon moved with his mother, father and older brother to Framlingham in Suffolk in the south-east of England.
Ed Sheeran was already enthusiastic about music as a small child. He discovered Bob Dylan and Van Morrison, among others, in his parents' record collection and sang along enthusiastically to their songs at the age of four.
In Framlingham, Ed Sheeran attended Thomas Mills High School. He initially gets poor grades in music, but doesn't let that put him off. As an eleven-year-old, he learns to play the guitar and performs with the school band. It soon became clear that Ed was at home on stage and knew how to thrill his audience.
Even then, he wanted to compose his own songs and become world-famous as a singer-songwriter. He meets one of his idols, the Irish musician Damien Rice. He encourages the boy to pursue his dream of a singer-songwriter career.
At the age of 13, Ed Sheeran writes his first songs and gives concerts in pubs and small clubs in Suffolk. He released his first EP, "The Orange Room", at the age of 14, followed by two more in 2006 and 2007. In 2008, the now seventeen-year-old Ed Sheeran decided to drop out of school and move to London.
From London to Jamie Foxx's couch
Finding a foothold in the big city is not easy: the temporarily homeless singer and guitarist sometimes even sleeps outside Buckingham Palace. But he grits his teeth: Almost every night Ed Sheeran plays shows in London pubs - at first sometimes only in front of ten people, but soon his gigs develop into an insider tip of the indie scene.
He combines singer-songwriter music with elements of rap and pop music. This own style and his charismatic appearance let his fan base grow quickly. In 2009, Ed Sheeran gives over 300 concerts.
Now, the first well-known artists are also taking notice of him. The English musician Just Jack takes Ed Sheeran on tour, and he also tours with the rapper Example as an opening act.
After the release of his EP "Loose Change" in 2010, Ed Sheeran goes to Los Angeles to write songs. There he meets actor Jamie Foxx, who has his own radio show and organises concerts. Ed Sheeran plays as many shows in LA, and sleeps on Jamie's couch for six weeks.
Ed Sheeran's breakthrough
And then comes the big breakthrough: the next EP "No. 5 Collaborations Project", which features British grime rappers Wiley, Devlin, JME and Ghetts among others as guest musicians, is released in January 2011, sells over 7,000 copies on iTunes in the first week and enters the charts directly at No. 2 on the platform.
Atlantic Records signs Ed Sheeran. In September 2011, his debut album "+" ("Plus") is released - and immediately breaks a record: In Ed Sheeran's home country, it is the best-selling number one debut album by a male artist within the last ten years. The debut single "The A Team" is already a hit. In Germany, "+" is released in February 2012 and reaches number 12 in the charts.
Now there is not a quiet minute for Ed Sheeran: he plays his own shows, writes new songs, composes and tours with artists such as One Direction and Taylor Swift and performs at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London in front of millions of spectators with Nick Mason of Pink Floyd and other greats of rock music.
With "I See Fire", Ed Sheeran even contributes a track to the soundtrack of the film "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug", which becomes another international hit.
Ed Sheeran even breaks Michael Jackson's record
In 2014, the busy Sheeran releases his second album "x" ("Multiply"), again with several international superhits - Ed Sheeran even receives a Grammy Award for "Thinking Out Loud". In Germany the album reaches number 1 in the charts. Shows with Beyoncé and at the sold-out Wembley Stadium follow, guest roles in films and series - in Ed Sheeran's life, one highlight follows the next.
In March 2017, the third album "÷" ("Divide") is released with the hit "Shape Of You". Ed Sheeran wins a Grammy for both the song and the album - and breaks records again.
In the UK, the album sells over 670,000 copies in its first week and shoots to third place among the country's fastest-selling albums - first place goes to Adele's "25", second place to Oasis' "Be Here Now". Furthermore, Ed Sheeran is the first artist to occupy the first five places in the British singles charts at the same time.
In Germany, he enters the charts with two singles at number one and number two at the same time - that has never happened before. And Ed Sheeran even knocks the "King of Pop" off his throne: With six songs simultaneously in the Top 20 of the German singles charts, ten songs in the Top 30 and 14 songs in the Top 50, he breaks Michael Jackson's record.
Even the royals love Ed Sheeran: Prince Charles himself awards him the distinction of being a member of the "Order of the British Empire".
Marriage, birth of daughter and most personal album yet
Ed Sheeran's "Divide" tour, which runs from 2017 to 2019, is not only the most-attended tour of all time with over 7.3 million tickets sold, but also the most commercially successful.
In his private life, too, there are reasons to celebrate: In January 2019, Ed Sheeran marries his partner Cherry Seaborn, whom he has known since their school days in Framlingham, and the following year their shared daughter Lyra Antarctica is born. After years of touring the world, Ed Sheeran retires for a while to enjoy a few months undisturbed with his family. However, due to the loss of a good friend, Ed Sheeran also experiences difficult times.
The singer-songwriter processes the ups and downs of emotions in his very personal album "=" ("Equals"), which he calls his "coming-of-age album". With megastar Kylie Minogue singing backing vocals on the song "Visiting Hours", the record follows the star-studded line-up of previous Ed Sheeran shows and albums.
Ed Sheeran's greatest hits
Top 10 hits by Ed Sheeran in the German singles charts:
- 2011: The A Team
- 2013: I See Fire
- 2014: Sing
- 2014: Photograph
- 2014: Thinking Out Loud
- 2015: All About It (Hoodie Allen feat. Ed Sheeran)
- 2017: Shape of You
- 2017: Castle on the Hill
- 2017: Galway Girl
- 2017: Perfect
- 2017: River (Eminem feat. Ed Sheeran)
- 2019: I Don't Care (Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber)
- 2019: Beautiful People (Ed Sheeran feat. Khalid)
- 2021: Afterglow
- 2021: Bad Habits
Ed Sheeran: frequently asked questions
When did Ed Sheeran become famous?
Ed Sheeran had his big breakthrough in 2011 after the release of his debut album "+" ("Plus"). Even before that, however, he had a large fan base, having played shows relentlessly in pubs and clubs in Suffolk and London since his teenage years and released several EPs.
What kind of instruments does Ed Sheeran play?
Ed Sheeran learned to play guitar when he was eleven. Especially when he is on the road without a band, he also often uses a so-called loop station - a mixture of effects unit and instrument. He also plays bass and percussion from time to time. For "I See Fire", the end-credit song for "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug", Ed Sheeran also played the violin.
What is Ed Sheeran's best-known song?
Ed Sheeran has had numerous international hits. In Germany, "Shape Of You", the lead single from the third album "÷" ("Divide") released in 2017, is probably Ed Sheeran's best-known song - it was in the singles chart for the longest time at 91 weeks.
