Ed Sheeran

A popular British singer Ed Sheeran performs pop and folk-rock songs. Ed began his career with performing on the streets of the city and turned into a celebrity with millions of fans. The singer’s full name is Edward Christopher Sheeran. He was born on 17 February 1991 in West Yorkshire. Soon after his birth, the family moved to Suffolk. That’s where Ed spent his childhood. Sheeran became a big fan of music early. When he was just four years old, the boy sang in a church choir.

Ed’s parents weren’t musicians. However, both of them were big music fans. They took their sons to listen to famous artists. The family often visited London to go to concerts.

When he was young, Sheeran was inspired by such stars as Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Pol McCartney, and Eminem. The boy was dreaming of becoming a celebrity. He learned how to play different musical instruments but preferred guitar. When Ed was in school, he wrote his own songs. In 2005, Sheeran recorded his first EP, The Orange Room. A year later, he began filming music videos and uploading them to his own YouTube channel.

When he was 16 years old, Sheeran graduated from school and moved to London to become a professional musician. He was accepted to British Youth Music Theatre and took courses online. The singer gave numerous performances on different outdoor stages in London, getting priceless onstage experience.

The breakthrough year for Ed was 2008. He got an opportunity to be the opening act for the band, Nizlopi. He used to work as a guitar technician for the band so the artists gave Sheeran an opportunity to promote himself.

In 2011, the singer recorded a music video for his single, "You Need Me, I Don’t Need You" and presented an EP, Loose Change. After the release, he went to LA and started performing on the streets. He was noticed by a famous actor and singer Jamie Foxx, who invited Sheeran to the talk show on his radio channel, Foxxhole.

The same year, Ed signed a contract with Atlantic Records. With the label’s assistance, the singer released his debut album with a short name, +. It featured a single “The A Team”, which became a huge hit and made the singer popular worldwide. It earned over a dozen platinum certificates in several countries. The single brought the artist a Novello Award.

In 2012, Sheeran performed at the closing ceremony of the Olympics, which brought him even more fans beyond the UK. The singer Taylor Swift noticed Ed and offered him to sing a song together for her next album. The single "Everything Has Changed" became a hit. Taylor went to tour the United States to support the album and asked Sheeran to join her.

In 2014, Ed released his next LP, x. It immediately topped numerous charts, including UK Albums Chart and Billboard 200. The album sold over 14 million copies worldwide. A month later, Sheeran announced writing an autobiography, Ed Sheeran: A Visual Journey, with the assistance of an artist Phillip Butah. The book came out at the end of the year.

In 2015, Sheeran got a Brit Award for the British Album of the Year. In 2016, he received two Grammies for his song “Thinking Out Loud".

In 2017, the artist presented his next LP, ÷, together with two singles "Castle on the Hill" and "Shape of You". Both became hits. The album sold almost 16 million copies worldwide.

At the end of the year, Sheeran was named the Member of the Order of the British Empire. Next year, he proposed to his girlfriend, Cherry Seaborn. The date of the wedding was never announced. However, after some time, fans noticed a wedding ring on his finger.

Sheeran’s next LP, No. 6 Collaboration project, is expected to be released in July 2019. It will feature such songs as Cross Me", "I Don't Care", "Beautiful People", and "Take Me Back to London". The first two are already international hits.

In the past few years, Ed had several opportunities to try his acting skills. He debuted in 2014 in a soap opera, Shortland Street.

In 2015, the artist performed in the Australian TV series, Home and Away. A year later, he appeared in the comedy Bridget Jones's Baby. In 2017, the actor performed in the famous HBO series Game of Thrones mostly thanks to the desire of one of the leading actors, Maisie Williams, who was a big fan of Sheeran since childhood. In 2019, the artist will appear in the British comedy, Yesterday.