Artist of the Month
Born - Edward Christopher Sheeran, 17 February 1991 (age 30)
Place of Birth - Halifax, West Yorkshire, England
Occupation - Singer-songwriter, musician, actor
Year’s Active - 2004–present
Spouse - Cherry Seaborn (m. 2019)
Children - 1
Genres - Pop, folk-pop, hip hop, soft rock
Ed Sheeran is a singer/songwriter who started playing guitar at an early age and soon began writing his own songs. When he was a teenager he moved to London to pursue his music, and the expression of his creativity included many early EPs and hundreds of live shows. Sheeran, who has attracted attention for his online shows, topped the iTunes rankings before even signing a record label. Since signing with Atlantic, Sheeran has sold millions of records and won Grammy’s for hits such as "Thinking Out Loud" and "Shape of You" and his 2018 album, "÷".
Sheeran's first album, "+" (pronounced "plus") was released in September 2011 and topped the UK album charts. It featured his first hit single "The A Team". In 2012, Sheeran won the Brit Awards for Best British Male Artist and the British Breakthrough Act. Sheeran's second studio album, "×" (pronounced "multiplication"), was released in June 2014 and was named the second best-selling album of 2015 worldwide. That same year, "×" won Album of the Year at the 2015 Brit Awards, and received the Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of the Year from British Academy of songwriters, composers and authors. His single "Thinking Out Loud" also won him the 2016 Grammy Award and Best Pop Solo Performance. Globally, Spotify named him the second most streamed artist of the decade.
An alumnus of the National Youth Theatre in London, Sheeran had a fair share of acting roles including appearance in the 2019 film “Yesterday” as well as a cameo on the hit series “Game of Thrones”.
Following his record-breaking “÷” tour which ended in 2019, amassing $1.1 billion, Sheeran announced that his fifth studio album would be called “=” (pronounced equals). The album art was painted by him during the first COVID-19 lockdown, and is based on the last changes his life had during the last few years, marriage, having a child and losing friends. The promotional single "Visiting Hours" was released alongside the announcement. The album also featured a reunion with long-time friend Taylor Swift in “The Joker and The Queen”.
His most recent collaborations saw him take on a more unique sound as he wove in a Latin voice into his music, working with like-minded major artists such as Camilla Cabello and J Balvin.