ED SHEERAN
Early life
Edward Christopher "Ed" Sheeran (born 17 February 1991) is a British singer-songwriter and musician. Sheeran was born in Hebden Bridge near Halifax, West Yorkshire but moved to Framlingham, Suffolk as a child. His father, John Sheeran, is an art curator and lecturer. His mother, Imogen Lock, is a culture publicist-turned-jewellery designer. His parents ran the independent art consultancy, Sheeran Lock, from 1990 to 2010. Sheeran, the younger of two boys, has an older brother, Matthew, who is a classical composer and postgraduate music student.
Sheeran's paternal grandparents were Irish, from Maghera, County Londonderry and Gorey, County Wexford. He was raised as a Roman Catholic. He sang in a local church choir from the age of four, learned guitar at a very young age, and began writing songs during his time at Thomas Mills High School in Framlingham. His early childhood memories include listening to Van Morrison during his trips to London with his parents and going to an intimate Damien Rice show in Ireland when he was eleven. In addition to Rice, he has also cited The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Nizlopi and Eminem as his biggest musical influences. He is a patron of the Youth Music Theatre UK. He was accepted at the National Youth Theatre in London as a teenager.
Sheeran's paternal grandparents were Irish, from Maghera, County Londonderry and Gorey, County Wexford. He was raised as a Roman Catholic. He sang in a local church choir from the age of four, learned guitar at a very young age, and began writing songs during his time at Thomas Mills High School in Framlingham. His early childhood memories include listening to Van Morrison during his trips to London with his parents and going to an intimate Damien Rice show in Ireland when he was eleven. In addition to Rice, he has also cited The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Nizlopi and Eminem as his biggest musical influences. He is a patron of the Youth Music Theatre UK. He was accepted at the National Youth Theatre in London as a teenager.
Music Career
He moved to London in 2008 to pursue a musical career. In early 2011, Sheeran released an independent extended play, No. 5 Collaborations Project, which caught the attention of both Elton John and Jamie Foxx. He then signed to Asylum Records. His debut album, +, containing the singles "The A Team" and "Lego House", was certified quintuple platinum in the UK. In 2012, Sheeran won two Brit Awards for Best British Male Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act. "The A Team" won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. In 2014, he was nominated for Best New Artist at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.
Sheeran's popularity abroad began in 2012. In the US he made a guest appearance on Taylor Swift's fourth studio album, Red, and wrote songs for One Direction. "The A Team" was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2013 Grammy Awards and he performed the song in duet with Elton John during the ceremony. He spent much of 2013 touring North America as the opening act for Swift's The Red Tour. In autumn 2013 Sheeran performed three sold out shows at New York's Madison Square Garden as a headline act. His second studio album titled x (read as "multiply") was released worldwide on 23 June 2014, charting at number one in the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200. In 2015, x won the Brit Award for British Album of the Year, and was nominated for Album of the Year at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. As part of his x world tour, Sheeran will play three concerts at London's Wembley Stadium in July 2015, his biggest solo shows to date.
Sheeran's popularity abroad began in 2012. In the US he made a guest appearance on Taylor Swift's fourth studio album, Red, and wrote songs for One Direction. "The A Team" was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2013 Grammy Awards and he performed the song in duet with Elton John during the ceremony. He spent much of 2013 touring North America as the opening act for Swift's The Red Tour. In autumn 2013 Sheeran performed three sold out shows at New York's Madison Square Garden as a headline act. His second studio album titled x (read as "multiply") was released worldwide on 23 June 2014, charting at number one in the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200. In 2015, x won the Brit Award for British Album of the Year, and was nominated for Album of the Year at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. As part of his x world tour, Sheeran will play three concerts at London's Wembley Stadium in July 2015, his biggest solo shows to date.