Ed Sheeran (born February 17, 1991, Halifax, West Yorkshire, England) is a British singer-songwriter known for his genre-crossing style infused with elements of folk, rock, rhythm and blues (R&B), pop, and hip-hop.
Early life
As a child, Sheeran was surrounded by art and music, with parents who worked in the arts and a brother who would go on to become a music composer. The family moved to Framlingham, Suffolk, and he showed an interest in music throughout his childhood, joining his church choir at age four and beginning to learn guitar when he was older.
Sheeran has said that he was inspired to become a performer when he was about 11 years old after watching Irish musician Damien Rice perform live. Sheeran began writing his own songs soon after. While still in high school, he self-released the EP The Orange Room (2005) and the albums Spinning Man (2005), Ed Sheeran (2006), and Want Some? (2007) to little attention before moving to London to pursue a music career. There Sheeran performed hundreds of shows at small clubs and gained exposure as the opening act for established performers from a variety of genres—including folk duo Nizlopi, indie rock band the Noisettes, and R&B artist Jay Sean—reflecting his broad influences.
Sheeran came to wide attention with a viral performance of the song “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You,” shared online on music entrepreneur Jamal Edwards’s U.K. hip-hop platform SB.TV in 2010. The song exemplified Sheeran’s blend of hip-hop beats and acoustic guitar, tied together with his signature loop pedal, with which he could record and play back musical sequences in real time, thus adding layers of music to augment his live performances. The song became a viral hit. Later that same year, he joined rapper Example on tour as a supporting act and came to notice in the United States on Jamie Foxx’s popular radio program The Foxxhole. The song “The A Team,” which would go on to become one of Sheeran’s breakthrough singles, was first released during this period, on the self-released EP Loose Change. Sheeran released the EP No. 5 Collaborations Project in 2011, and, remarkably for a self-released album, it reached number two on the U.K. iTunes chart. Sheeran soon after landed his first recording contract, with Asylum Records, an imprint of Atlantic Records.
Sheeran’s first studio album, + (Plus), was released in 2011. It reached number five on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States, and Sheeran received his first Grammy nomination for the single “The A Team,” which was nominated for song of the year.
In 2014 Sheeran released his second studio album, × (Multiply), his first number one album. Sheeran recorded with several high-profile collaborators on the album, including Pharrell Williams, who brought out R&B influences on songs including “Sing” and “Runaway.” The single “Thinking Out Loud” became the first song to spend a full year on the U.K. Top 40 charts and won Grammy Awards in 2016 for song of the year and best pop solo performance. It was also the subject of a copyright infringement lawsuit brought in 2017 by the heirs of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote “Let’s Get It On” (1973) with Marvin Gaye. Townsend’s heirs alleged that Sheeran had copied elements of the older song for use in “Thinking Out Loud,” which Sheeran denied. During the 2023 trial, he and his defense noted that the similar chord progression in both songs was common and found in many other songs, including some that predated “Let’s Get It On.” The jury found in his favor, declaring that he was not liable for copyright infringement. A similar lawsuit, brought by a company that owned partial interest in the Gaye-Townsend song, was dismissed a short time later.
Critical acclaim
Meanwhile, critical acclaim poured in for Sheeran’s follow-up album, 2017’s ÷ (Divide). In 2018 it won a Grammy for best pop vocal album and the album’s chart-topping single, “Shape of You,” won for best pop solo performance.
Sheeran’s No. 6 Collaborations Project in 2019 saw him collaborating with a parade of the top artists of the day, including Cardi B, Chance the Rapper, Bruno Mars, and Chris Stapleton. In 2021 his next album, = (Equals), was released. Despite mixed reviews—critics pointed to the album’s saccharine lyrics and uninventive style—the album debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart, and its singles “Bad Habits” and “Shivers” both made it into the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. He became known for a distinctive presence at his live shows, where he would perform solo with only his guitar and loop pedal.
Personal life
Sheeran had reconnected with childhood friend Cherry Seaborn during a U.S. tour in 2015, and they were married three years later. In 2022, while Sheeran was recording his next album, − (Subtract), Seaborn was diagnosed with cancer and had a tumor that was inoperable until after the birth of their second child. During this period, Sheeran was also struggling to cope with the sudden death from a heart attack of close friend Jamal Edwards, who had given him his break on SB.TV. The events had a profound impact on Sheeran, who entirely rewrote the songs on the album while working through his grief. Released in 2023, − debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart and became Sheeran’s fifth album to take the top spot.
