Ed Sheeran is often described to have a voice of an angel, which is shown through his use of a delicate falsetto and melodic sound.
At just 26 years old, he has been nominated for and won several prodigious music awards- including the Grammys, MTV, and Billboard. All the while, he has stayed incredibly down to earth and humble. I believe this is due to his small beginnings, ‘busking on the street’ in downtown London at the young age of 14.
I have been a fan of Ed since his first album “+” was released in 2011. However, he recorded several EPs that made it to the tops of iTunes charts without being signed to a major record company. Ed is known for being a one-man show: just him, his guitar, and his loop petal (a machine where he can mix and layer sounds live on stage). Additionally, he is known for writing his own lyrics. His single, ‘A-Team’ brought him into the spotlight and soon became a world touring super star.
Ed continued the math themed album title with “X” for his sophomore album. This record contains more variety in terms of genre—whereas “+” was more of his signature singer-songwriter pop sound. In “X,” he added more hip-hop and dance sounds, something he was criticized for. Yet, in my opinion, this diversity adds to his artistry.
After touring with this album, Ed took a break from all social media and spotlight in 2016 to work on his third album. A truly devastating time for a hard-core fan like myself, but very well deserved. Moreover, I believe this time off allowed him to curate one of his best albums- “÷.”
Again continuing with the math symbol theme, “÷” was released this past March. I think this is his best work because it has a variety of genres- pop, hip-hop, traditional Irish, and African sounds- while having beautifully crafted lyrics as an underlying motif tying the songs together.
As mentioned several times before, I consider myself to be a huge fan of Ed. I admittedly still have two posters of him hung on my bedroom wall, and ran a fan account Instagram page in Middle School. Moreover, I have been blessed enough to go to two of his concerts (one I won tickets on the radio for aka the highlight of my life).
Even though there’s a better chance of me winning the Mega Millions tomorrow than you seeing this tiny article, I want to thank you Ed for the music you create and the person you are. Especially for creating music that has been there for me in the darkest and brightest points of my teenage years.
