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At the tender age of 14, Ed Sheeran began recording music and independently released his first collection of songs “The Orange Room EP”. It was after his move to London in 2008, though, that his music career really began to take off due to the release of his “Loose Change EP”, which featured future megahit single “The A Team”.
Prepared to graft from the very start, Ed Sheeran played 312 gigs in 2009 in addition to constantly releasing new material on his YouTube channel. These gigs and his widespread social media following caught the attention of Jamie Foxx, Elton John and Example. Further to this, his hard work won thousands of fans, who would show up at any small gigs he was playing. Knowing they were on to a good thing, Asylum/Atlantic Records quickly signed Ed Sheeran to their label after the release of his popular “No. 5 Collaborations Project” EP.
Ed Sheeran’s debut studio album “+” entered at number one in the UK charts after Ed secured four top ten singles in a row from the album. An opportunity to break into the US market soon came about after Ed was given the opportunity to tour with the band Snow Patrol.
Licensing of his music to television shows, and collaborations with One Direction on their song “Moments” and with Taylor Swift on the song “Everything Has Changed” paved the way for Ed Sheeran’s second studio album “x” (pronounced ‘multiply’) to hit the number one position in both the UK and the US charts.
Despite being so early in his career, Ed has already been nominated for three Grammy Awards and was the recipient of a 2012 Ivor Novello Award for “The A Team”. With these successes under his belt, Ed Sheeran’s star can only continue to rise.
It is safe to say that Ed Sheeran will be one of the defining artists of our generation. His music transcends any definable genre, combining soft folk with bright pop and grime hip-hop. Sheeran's clever wordplay and soulful lyrics are able to really captivate an audience, both when listening to him live or on a CD. One of the most salient qualities about him though, is his pure, unaltered, truly beautiful voice. It is hard to really visualize how great he sounds until you see him live. I was lucky enough to see him at a small, intimate performance with a crowd of only about 100. The first thing you notice about him is that it is just him up on stage. There is no band, no backing vocals, no track playing in the background or anything. It is him, a guitar, and a loop pedal. From the moment he struck the first chord until the moment he stepped off stage, the audience was enchanted by him. His voice can transport you from an old pub in Ireland to the grimy streets of London without ever missing a beat. A real troubadour, his shining moments are the ballads in which soaring vocals and romantic lyrics backed by the simple strum of his Little Martin cause major swooning.
It was evident to me that Sheeran deserves all of the attention he gets and more; his talent is truly undeniable, even if he isn't your favorite. He is so incredibly down-to-Earth, as well. I was able to meet him after he performed and he genuinely cared about what I had to say to him. He was warm, friendly, funny, and exceedingly normal. He's someone that you would want to hang out and watch TV with.
With his new album "x" (pronounced "multiply") Sheeran shows how much he has grown as an artist since the release of his debut album "+" three years ago. His love is more passionate, his hurt is more palpable, and when he throws shade, it's pretty intense. At the end of the day, he is a performer. You can tell how much music means to him when you see him live. He is a true artist: a beautiful lyricist, a stunning vocalist, and an incredibly entertaining musician.
LydiaM7
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