Early Life and Career Beginnings
Ed Sheeran was born Edward Christopher Sheeran on February 17, 1991 in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. He began playing guitar and writing songs at a very young age. As a teenager, he independently released his first collection of music. In 2008, at age 17, he moved to London to pursue his passion for music.
Musical Breakthrough
In 2009 and 2010, Ed Sheeran released two EPs that brought exposure and praise. His fanbase grew exponentially from his extensive touring and online following. This caught the attention of recording artist Jamie Foxx, who invited Sheeran to stay and record music at his home in Los Angeles. Soon after, in 2011, Sheeran released his major label debut EP, No. 5 Collaborations Project, featuring artists like Snoop Dogg. Later that year, Sheeran’s first full album “+” was released, reaching #1 in the UK charts. The single “The A Team” became an international hit.
Continued Success
Ed Sheeran’s sophomore album “x” arrived in 2014, dominated charts, and contained the massive hit “Thinking Out Loud”. He began playing larger venues on his world tour and made his first arena headline appearance at Wembley Stadium. His third album “÷” proved another smash success in 2017. Both x and ÷ remain among history’s highest selling albums worldwide. Sheeran’s two-year world tour in support of ÷ smashed records, selling over 8.5 million tickets globally.
Recent Projects
After taking a break from music and touring, Sheeran made his highly anticipated return in 2021 with the new singles “Bad Habits” and “Shivers”. He released his fourth album, “=”, along with more hit singles like “Overpass Graffiti”. In 2023 and 2024, Sheeran is embarking on another global stadium tour in continued support of “=” that is breaking even more records for attendance and ticket sales.