Ed Sheeran dominates the music charts with his acoustic guitar and loop pedal. You recognize his red hair and catchy melodies instantly, but his journey involved serious struggle before the stadiums. Surprisingly, he overcame a difficult speech impediment by rapping along to hip-hop records. Furthermore, he writes massive hits for other pop stars without taking credit. Consequently, he remains one of the most humble yet influential figures in the industry. Let’s explore the life of the boy from Suffolk.
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran struggled with a severe stutter during his childhood. Remarkably, he cured the speech impediment by rapping along to the fast-paced lyrics of Eminem’s Marshall Mathers LP.
He names all of his guitars to give them a personal identity. Hilariously, he calls his trusty instruments names like Lloyd, Felix, Cyril, and Nigel.
Jamie Foxx offered him a place to sleep before he was famous. Generously, the actor let the unknown singer crash on his couch in Los Angeles for six weeks.
He possesses a deep obsession with Heinz Tomato Ketchup. Consequently, he tattooed the logo on his arm and even starred in a commercial for the brand.
Surprisingly, he slept rough on the London Underground trains and heating vents near Buckingham Palace. Therefore, his song Homeless comes from genuine experiences of having nowhere to go.
He wrote the massive hit Love Yourself for Justin Bieber. Originally, he planned to include the track on his own album Divide but gave it away instead.
Ed Sheeran strictly avoids carrying a smartphone to reduce stress. Deliberately, he used an old Nokia brick phone for years to disconnect from social media and emails.
He made a cameo appearance on Game of Thrones as a Lannister soldier. Sweetly, the producers arranged the surprise specifically for actress Maisie Williams, who is a huge fan.
He performs live using a loop station rather than a backing band. Impressively, he records his voice and guitar in real-time on stage to build the entire song alone.
He built a private pub in the garden of his estate in Suffolk. Creatively, he named the secret bar The Lancaster Lock to honor his wife, Cherry Lancaster Seaborn.
Interestingly, he originally wrote the song Shape of You with Rihanna in mind. However, the lyrics eventually felt too personal, so he decided to keep the track for himself.
He dropped out of school at the age of 16 to pursue music. Boldly, he moved to London with almost no money to play small gigs in local pubs.
Ed Sheeran holds the record for the highest-grossing concert tour of all time. Astoundingly, his Divide tour earned over $776 million [€730 million] across 260 shows.
He has a massive lion tattoo that covers his entire chest. Reportedly, he endured seven hours of pain to get the ink to celebrate selling out Wembley Stadium.
He once melted his sneakers on stage because the lighting rig was too hot. Despite this, he continued playing the show while his shoes slowly disintegrated.