Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran burst onto the music scene in 2011 with his debut album +. He quickly became one of the most popular musicians in Britain. His songs are played on radio stations across the world. In 2012 he won the Brit Award for British Male Solo Artist. He released four albums during 2013 and 2014. In 2016, he signed a multi-album deal with Atlantic Records. He released ÷ in 2017, followed by Divide in 2018.
Early life and education
Edward Christopher Sheeran was born on 17 February 1991 in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, to parents John Michael Sheeran (born 1963) and Sally Anne Sheeran (née Hulme; born 1962). He grew up in Framlingham, Suffolk. Sheeran attended Thomas Mills Secondary Modern School in Framlingham. He graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in English Literature.Sheeran wrote his first song, “The A Team”, at the age of 11. In 2007 he moved to London, where he worked as a barman. At the end of 2008 Sheeran returned to East Anglia, where he lived with friends in Ipswich.
In 2009 Sheeran signed a publishing deal with BMG Music Publishing, and recorded his debut album, Upstairs at Eric’s, in 2010. Sheeran played bass guitar during recording sessions. Sheeran later recalled that “t was almost like I had to prove myself.”
Upstairs at Eric’s was released on 5 June 2011 in the United Kingdom. The record received mixed reviews upon release, although it did well commercially, reaching number one on the UK Albums Chart. On 20 November 2011, Sheeran performed live on BBC Radio 2 for the Chris Evans Breakfast Show, playing five tracks from Upstairs at Eric’s.
On 23 January 2012, Sheeran announced via Twitter that he had been dropped by his label. He later confirmed that he had left Island Records because of creative differences.
On 26 April 2013, Sheeran released his second studio album, +, independently under his own management. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.
+ spawned three singles: “Thinking Out Loud”, “Lego House”, and “State of Love and Trust”. The latter was used in the soundtrack of the film Fifty Shades Darker.
Career
Sheeran began recording music at the age of 13. At just 14 years old he recorded his debut album, titled Spinning Man, independently. In 2009, he signed a record deal with Atlantic Records, where he released his debut single, “The A Team”. This song became one of the most successful singles of 2010, reaching number 2 in the UK Singles Chart. His second studio album, +, followed in 2012, which reached number 1 in the UK Albums Chart and spawned three hit singles, including the Grammy Award winning “Thinking Out Loud”, which went on to become the best selling digital download of 2013. Sheeran’s third studio album, x, was released in 2016, becoming his fourth consecutive number 1 album in the UK.