At this very moment, it’s possible that Ed Sheeran is the most talented and popular pop singer/songwriter in the world. Every song he sings turns to gold, and fans are already embracing his latest gem, “How Would You Feel” (Paean), a heartfelt, sweet ballad,
Ed is an artist that inspires a generation, and the release of “Divide is a global event.”
—-Ben Cook, Atlantic Records UK
“Divide,” Sheeran’s latest, instantly shot to #1 Album Sales when it was released last week; it includes two previous hits, “Shape Of You” (#1 on both Top 40 and Adult Top 40 radio) recently featured in BoomerMusicUpdate https://boomermusicupdate.com/pop/lay-it-on-me-explodes-on-top-40sounds-of-shattered-dreams-lurk-in-the-background-2/ and “Castle On The Hill” an international sensation that’s Top 10 in the Adult Alternative arena.
As far as streaming, “Divide” drew 56.73m streams on Spotify, demolishing the previous record for first-day plays of an LP; in addition, Sheeran broke his own record for plays of a single track on Spotify in 24 hours. He’s currently the most streamed artist on Spotify, with over 45.5m monthly listeners.
If you are even remotely aware of pop-culture, meaning you occasionally flip through “People” or “Star” while in line at the grocery store, than it’s likely you’ve seen a picture of Ed Sheeran—he’s a ruddy, red headed Brit, who looks like anyone’s teen-age son—rumpled t-shirt and jeans, tousled hair, a baby face… rather than the 26-year old music phenom that he is. He attended music school, began recording in 2004; in 2010 actor Jamie Foxx caught Sheeran’s show at an open mic in L.A., and lent a hand via contacts and a place to stay; later, Elton John signed Sheeran to his management company.
Sheeran starts touring in June.