Ed Sheeran is a British singer-songwriter who broke through commercially in 2011 with his debut single "The A Team". He began recording and releasing EPs independently in 2005. Through heavy touring, online exposure, and support from artists like Elton John, Sheeran gained a loyal fan base. In 2011, he signed with Asylum/Atlantic Records and released his acclaimed debut album "+" featuring the hit singles "The A Team", "You Need Me", and "Lego House", establishing himself as a successful mainstream artist.

1. Ed Sheeran
Biography

2. Edward Christopher "Ed" Sheeran (born 17
February 1991) is a British singer-songwriter who
is currently signed to Asylum / Atlantic Record.
Sheeran broke through commercially in June
2011, when his debut single "The A Team"
debuted at number 3 on the UK chart single.
Wikipedia

3. Music career

4. Early years
Sheeran began recording in 2005, which led to the release of his first EP, The Orange Room EP.
Sheeran also released 2 albums, a self-titled one in 2006 and Want Some? in 2007. He moved to
London in 2008 to play gigs, starting off in very small venues, playing every day, to as little as five
people. In 2008, he auditioned for the ITV series Britannia High.
In 2009, Sheeran played 312 gigs. He said that he read an interview with James Morrison that
said that Morrison had done 200 gigs in a year, and Sheeran wanted to beat him on this number.
Also in 2009, he released another EP, You Need Me, just before going on tour with Just Jack. He
also did a few collaborations with Leddra Chapman, including Cee Lo Green’s F**k You. In
February 2010 Sheeran posted a video through SB.TV, which led to mainstream rapper Example
asking Sheeran to tour with him. Also in February 2010 he released his critically acclaimed Loose
Change EP, which featured his later debut single "The A Team".
In April 2010, after leaving his old management company, Sheeran bought a ticket to Los
Angeles, with no contacts other than one poetry night. He played open mic nights all over the
city, before his talent was spotted at The Foxxhole by Jamie Foxx, who was so impressed that he
offered Sheeran the use of his recording studio and the run of his Hollywood home for the rest
of his stay. Throughout 2010, Sheeran began to be seen by more people over the internet
through YouTube and his fan-base grew, with him also getting credit from The Independent
newspaper, England football captain Rio Ferdinand and Elton John. Sheeran also self-released
two other EPs in 2010; Ed Sheeran: Live at the Bedford and Songs I Wrote With Amy, which is a
collection of love songs he wrote in Wales with fellow singer songwriter Amy Wadge.
Wikipedia

5. 2011–present
On 8 January 2011, Sheeran released his final independent EP, No.5 Collaborations Project
featuring appearances by grime artists including Wiley, JME, Devlin, Sway and Ghetts. With this
EP, Sheeran gained mainstream attention for reaching number 2 in the iTunes chart without any
promotion or label, selling over 7,000 copies in its first week. Three months later, Sheeran put
on a free show to fans at the Barfly in Camden. Over 1,000 fans turned up to see the show, so
Sheeran ended up playing four different shows to make sure everyone saw a gig, including a gig
outside on the street after the venue had closed. Later that month, Sheeran was signed to
Asylum/ Atlantic Records.
On 26 April, Sheeran appeared on the TV music show Later... with Jools Holland– where he
performed his debut single "The A Team". Six weeks later, "The A Team" was released as a digital
download in the UK. The release served as the lead single from Sheeran's debut studio
album, entitled which was released through Atlantic Records on 12 September 2011. "The A
Team" entered the UK chart at number 3, selling over 58,000 copies in the first week. It was
congratulated on being the highest-selling and highest-charting debut single of 2011.
During a headline set in the BBC Introducing tent at Glastonbury Festival 2011, Sheeran
announced that "You Need Me" would be released on 28 August as the second single from the
album. Sheeran also performed at the Festival Republic Stage during the Reading
festival, performed live alongside Mikill Pane and Wretch 32 at Bestival, and performed on the
main stage of the 2011 Jersey Live festival.
On 11 November 2011, the song "Lego House" was released as the third single lifted from the
debut studio album. The song has so far peaked at number 5 on the UK Singles Chart. The video
for "Lego House" was released on 20 October 2011 on Sheeran's YouTube channel. It stars Harry
Potter actor Rupert Grint. Wikipedia