Ed Sheeran, fully Edward Christopher Sheeran, (born 17 February 1991 in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England), known for his genre-crossing style with elements of folk, rock, rhythm and blues (R&B), is a British singer-songwriter .
From a young age, Sheeran’s home was surrounded by music and his influence can be seen in Sheeran. He was surrounded by art and music, with parents who worked in the arts and a brother who would become a musician. The family moved to Framlingham, Suffolk, and he showed an interest in music as a child, joining the church choir at the age of four and learning to play the guitar as an adult.
Sheeran has said that he was inspired to become an artist when he was 11 years old after seeing Irish musician Damien Rice perform live. Sheeran soon began writing his own songs. While still in high school, he released the EPs The Orange Room (2005) and Spinning Man (2005), Ed Sheeran (2006) and Want Some? (2007) received little attention before moving to London to pursue a music career. There, Sheeran performed hundreds of small club shows and gained visibility as an opening act for established artists in a variety of genres, including folk duo Nizlopi, indie rock band The Noisettes, and R&B artist Jay Sean, leading to his widespread influence.
Sheeran gained widespread attention in 2010 with a viral performance of the song “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You” shared online by music entrepreneur Jamal Edwards on the British hip-hop platform SB.TV. The song exemplifies Sheeran’s hip-hop style. Mix-hop rhythms and acoustic guitar, combined with his signature loop pedal, through which he can record and play musical sequences in real time, thus adding musical layers to enhance his live performances.
This song went viral. Later that year, he joined rapper Example on tour as a supporting act and became known in the United States on Jamie Foxx’s popular radio show, The Foxhole. The song “The A Team”, which became one of Sheeran’s biggest singles, was first released during this period, on the self-released EP Loose Change. Sheeran released the No. 5 Collaborations Project EP in 2011 and, surprisingly for a self-released album, it reached number two on the UK iTunes chart. Sheeran soon signed his first record deal with Asylum Records, an Atlantic record label.
Sheeran’s debut studio album, + (Plus), was released in 2011. It reached number five on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States and earned Sheeran his first Grammy nomination for the single “The A Team”, who was nominated for the song.
In 2014, Sheeran released his second studio album, × (Multiple), which became his first number-one album. Sheeran recorded the album with several high-profile collaborators, including Pharrell Williams, who highlighted R&B influences on songs like “Sing” and “Runaway.” “Thinking Out Loud” became the first single to spend an entire year on the UK Top 40 chart and won the 2016 Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance.
He was also the subject of a copyright infringement lawsuit filed in 2017 by the estate of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote “Let’s Get It On” (1973) with Marvin Gaye. Townsend’s estate alleged that Sheeran had copied elements from an earlier song for use in “Thinking Out Loud”, which Sheeran denied. During the 2023 trial, he and his defense noted that the same chord progression was common to both songs and was found in many other songs, including some prior to “Let’s Get It On.” The jury ruled in his favor and declared that he was not responsible for copyright infringement. A similar lawsuit, filed by a company with a partial interest in the Gaye-Townsend song, was dismissed shortly thereafter.
Get a Britannica Premium subscription and get access to exclusive content.
Meanwhile, Sheeran’s next album, 2017’s ÷ (Divide), received critical acclaim. In 2018, he won a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album and the album’s single, “Shape of You,” won for Best Pop Solo Performance.
Sheeran’s 6th collaboration project of 2019 saw him collaborate with a parade of today’s top artists, including Cardi B, Chance the Rapper, Bruno Mars and Chris Stapleton. In 2021, his next album, = (Equals) was released. Despite mixed reviews (critics noted the album’s saccharine lyrics and inventive style), the album debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Albums Sales chart, and its singles “Bad Habits” and “Shivers” reached the top 10 on the Billboard chart. Hot 100. He became known for the unique presence of him.
Sheeran reunited with his childhood friend Cherry Seaborn during a US tour in 2015 and they married three years later. In 2022, while Sheeran was recording his next album – (Restar), Seaborn was diagnosed with cancer and had a tumor that was dormant until after the birth of her second child. During this period, Sheeran was also struggling to deal with the sudden death from a heart attack of his close friend Jamal Edwards, who had given him the opportunity at SB.TV. The events had a profound impact on Sheeran, who completely rewrote the album’s lyrics while he recovered from his grief. Released in 2023, it debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart and became Sheeran’s fifth album to reach the top spot.
Album: Autumn Variations” (2023)
Ed Sheeran – Autumn Variations album cover
Magical
England
Amazing
Plastic Bag
Blue
American Town
That’s On Me
Page
Midnight
Spring
Punchline
When Will I Be Alright
The Day I Was Born
Head > Heels