Who is Ed Sheeran?

A few months ago, I came across Ed Sheeran in Wikipedia search results for a different research topic.  Although I cannot recall what the original search was for at this time, Ed Sheeran's background was intriguing and so I thought I would delve further.

In this post - Who is Ed Sheeran?

Ed Sheeran is a young British talent - born on February 17, 1991.  He is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actor.  

Sheeran's debut album, + (pronounced "plus"), reached No. 1 on the UK and Australian charts, No. 5 in the U.S., and has been certified 8x Platinum in the UK.  The album was released in September 2011.  

"The A Team" single from the album was profoundly recognized and honored - Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically, Brit Award for Best British Male Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act, and nominated for Song of the Year at the 2013 Grammy Awards (Sheeran performed "The A Team" with Elton John).

Ed Sheeran's second album was equally successful.  X (pronounced "multiply") was released in June 2014.  The album reached No. 1 in the UK and U.S.  In 2015, X was critically acclaimed to be the second best-selling album worldwide.  In the same year, X won the Brit Award for Album of the Year.  Sheeran also received the Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of the Year.  

"Thinking Out Loud" was a single from X and received great honors - two Grammy Awards in the 2016 ceremony...Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance.

Ed Sheeran's third album, (the divide symbol...my laptop does not appear to have that key), reached No. 1 in the UK and U.S.  The album was released in March 2017 and was named the best-selling album worldwide in 2017.

"Shape of You" and "Castle on the Hill" broke records in the UK, Australia, and Germany.  In the U.S., Sheeran became the first artist to have two songs in the Top 10 in the same week.  

In 2017, Sheeran earned ten Top 10 singles in the UK Singles Chart, breaking the record for most Top 10 from one album ("Divide").

"Perfect" (also from "Divide") reached No. 1 in the U.S., UK, and Australia.  

No. 6 Collaborations Project, Sheeran's fourth album released in 2019, ranked well at the top of the U.S. and UK charts.

Ed Sheeran is listed as one of the best-selling music artists worldwide with over 150 million records in sales.

A full background of Sheeran's music career can be found on Wikipedia.

An extensive list of nominations and awards can be found on Wikipedia.  Placed in alphabetical order, Ed Sheeran has been nominated and awarded multiple times from ceremonies beginning in "A" to "Y."

In 2015, Ed Sheeran received an honorary degree from the University of Suffolk for his "outstanding contribution to music."  (Wikipedia)  

In 2017, Prince Charles appointed Ed Sheeran Member of the Order of the British Empire.  (Wikipedia)

This, then, leads to my take away -

He is only 28 years old.  He has four albums to his name.  He has already broken records.  His honors, awards, and nominations are beyond profoundly impressive.  He is a young talent with a long road ahead of him.