Ed Sheeran: Get to know more about the 'Bad Habits' singer
He's got an MBE!
Ed Sheeran has not only released some of the biggest hits of the last decade but he’s now set up his own record label to support other artists too. Starting in 2011 with ‘The A Team’, Ed has released more bangers than we can count on our fingers and toes, including ‘Shape of You’, ‘Castle on the Hill’, ‘Bad Habits’ and ‘Thinking Out Loud’ to name just a few.
He was also the first British artist to win a Gold BRIT Billion Award! Wowsers! Now with another Christmas song coming our way (following the success of his hit Christmas collab with Sir Elton), a huge world tour, and with his 8th album expected soon, now’s the perfect time to get to know the singer-songwriter, from his early beginnings right up to the present day…
Where is Ed Sheeran from?
Singer songwriter Ed Sheeran was born Edward Christopher Sheeran in Halifax, West Yorkshire. He moved to Framlingham, Suffolk at a very young age, and spent most of his childhood there - with his parents Imogen and John even auctioning off some of his childhood items to raise money for local charities in Suffolk.
What football team does he support?
Ed is a sponsor of Ipswich Town football team and often shows his support there. In May 2024, the team succeeded in getting a promotion to the Premier League. Ed was supporting from afar as he was working in Miami, but got up early to watch the game, and called the players afterwards to ask if they wanted to go out for a celebratory drink.
In August, just days before the 2024/2025 Premier League season kicked off, Ed announced he has acquired a minority stake in Ipswich Town. Ed has bought a 1.4% stake in his beloved club and announced the news on social media.
He wrote: 'Really excited to announce that I have bought a small percentage of my hometown football club @ipswichtown . It’s any football fans dream to be an owner in the club they support, and I feel so grateful for the opportunity. I’ve lived in Suffolk since I was 3, and although I have travelled the world and sometimes feel like an outsider in big cities, Suffolk and Ipswich have always made me feel part of a community and protected. It’s such a joy to be a fan of Ipswich town.
'There are ups and downs, but football is about taking the highs with the lows. I’m not a voting shareholder or a board member, this is just me putting some money into the club I love and them returning the gesture, so please don’t get onto me with signing suggestions or tactics lol. Excited for the Prem to start this weekend X'. (sic)
Ipswich chairman Mark Ashton said: "The support Ed and his team have shown us over the last three years has been nothing short of remarkable and for him to make this investment feels like the natural progression in our relationship.
"For one of the biggest artists in the world to give us so much of his time and give the club such incredible exposure around the world, while asking for very little in return, highlights just what makes this relationship such a special one."
When is his birthday?
Ed was born on 17th February 1991, making him currently 33-years-old.
His first performance
Ed Sheeran's first ever performance was when he was 11-years-old at school. The singer revealed backstage at Hits Live Liverpool that his performance was meant to be a duo with his friend Dan playing the piano. Unfortunately, things didn't go to plan when they couldn't get the piano on stage, so it ended up being a solo performance with Ed.
Despite being nervous, Ed went ahead with the performance and when it was over, everyone said how good he was. The 'Beautiful People' singer went on to say: "I suddenly got this buzz of like, oh I could do something. So that was like my first time."
How did he become famous?
Unsurprisingly, music runs in Ed's family - he has an older brother named Matthew, who works as a classical composer.
Ed’s future in music was clear from a very young age, and he began to sing in a local church choir from the age of four, also learning to play the guitar. He then began to write songs in high school.
In 2004, he started recording his music, independently releasing his first collection of work, 'Spinning Man'. By the following year, he released his EP 'The Orange Room'. In September 2024, Ed shared an EP full of some of his early songs called 'My Forgotten Favourites'. Read up on Ed Sheeran's full career timeline, which awards he's won through the years and how many albums he's released.
What is Tingly Ted's?
Tingly Ted's is Ed's very own hot sauce range! The singer launched his new range, named after his childhood nickname, in 2023, and also took part in a marketing campaign which featured Ted - a loveable, grumpy, giant bear.
Is Ed Sheeran married?
He sure is! You'd be forgiven for getting confused though... After dating childhood sweetheart Cherry Seaborn for a number of years, Ed Sheeran subtly announced they were engaged in a sweet Instagram post on 20th January 2018. He wrote: 'Got myself a fiancé just before new year. We are very happy and in love, and our cats are chuffed as well.' (sic)
In an interview in August 2018, Ed showed off a ring on his ring finger, but when asked when the upcoming wedding was, he wouldn't answer and simply pointed at the ring, seemingly indicating that they were already married. 👀
Reports then surfaced in February 2019 that Ed and Cherry had officially tied the knot just before Christmas 2018, with the ceremony apparently taking place at his country estate in Suffolk with only 40 people in attendance.
In July 2019, Ed confirmed he was married - while discussing the lyrics for his song with Eminem and 50 Cent, the singer went on to say: "Watch how the lyrics in the songs might get twisted. My wife wears red, but looks better without the lipstick.
"It was actually before me and Cherry got married, and I knew that we'd be married by the point that the song came out," Ed explained. "Someone's gonna hear that and be like, 'Oh, they're married!' I didn't know how that would be construed, but obviously it's already come out."
Ed Sheeran's babies
Ed and his wife Cherry welcomed their first child in August 2020, with the singer making the surprising announcement in May 2022 that they had welcomed baby number two!
Announcing the birth of his first child, Ed took to Instagram to share the lovely news. The 'Perfect' singer simply shared an image of his baby's socks lying on a blanket, writing: 'Ello! A quick message from me as I have some personal news that I wanted to share with you...
'Last week, with the help of an amazing delivery team, Cherry gave birth to our beautiful and healthy daughter - Lyra Antarctica Seaborn Sheeran. We are completely in love with her. Both mum and baby are doing amazing and we are on cloud nine over here. We hope that you can respect our privacy at this time. Lots of love and I’ll see you when it’s time to come back, Ed x' (sic).
Two years later, Ed shared a post of a similar style, revealing that he and Cherry had welcomed their second baby girl! Sharing another image of some adorable socks lying on a blanket, the 'Bad Habits' singer wrote: 'Want to let you all know we’ve had another beautiful baby girl. We are both so in love with her, and over the moon to be a family of 4 x'.
Ed Sheeran's babies' names
In Ed's Instagram post announcing the birth of his first daughter, he also revealed her name - Lyra Antarctica Seaborn Sheeran. Ed revealed the name of his second daughter in an interview with Rolling Stone, where he announced that she is called Jupiter Seaborn Sheeran.
It is thought that Ed's first born's unique name is a nod to one of the singer's favourite novel series, His Dark Materials, which follows the story of Lyra Belacqua. In the series, Lyra travels to the Arctic, which many fans have also linked to his baby's name. Lyra is also the name of a constellation for the lyre, a musical instrument.
Ed and Cherry's second daughter is named Jupiter, of course named after the planet. The name itself means 'god of the sky' or 'godfather' according to NameBerry.
What songs has Ed Sheeran written?
As well as writing his own hugely successful songs, Ed spread his musical wings and shared his gift for writing with a whole host of big names - and it's safe to say he's built himself quite the portfolio!
From One Direction's 'Little Things' in 2012, Ed has gone onto co-write songs such as Taylor Swift's 2013 track 'Everything Has Changed', Justin Bieber's 2015 release 'Love Yourself' as well as Liam Payne's 2017 hit 'Strip That Down'.
Read up on all the other songs you didn't know Ed Sheeran had written for other artists!
Ed Sheeran and Jamal Edwards
Ed was a good friend of Jamal Edwards who passed away in 2022. Jamal was often credited with helping Ed on his rise to fame. In January 2023, Ed released a song as a tribute to his late friend.
The full video premiered on YouTube on 19th January, and showed Ed in the centre of the pitch at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge, surrounded by a circle of candles.
WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE
Is Ed releasing new music?
In November 2023, Ed revealed he was 'knuckling down into album mode' and teased the theme for his next set of albums (remember the mathematical symbols?!). Fans were quick to speculate after Ed ended his post by saying: 'See you sometime next year when we press Play again on pop' — with many Sheerios believing the next five albums would be called play, pause, stop, fast forward and rewind!
It's widely rumoured his next album is expected quite soon!
Ed Sheeran's most recent album
Ed released his seventh album, 'Autumn Variations', on 29th September 2023. The album is the first one of Ed's to be released on his own record label, Gingerbread Man Records.
Ed announced the news of the album's release by sharing a video to his Instagram page. He said: "The sun is shining but Autumn is coming. I find that Autumn is a season with a lot of change.
"Coming out of Summer, people are getting out of relationships, getting into relationships, being very lonely. I just found my friends and me were going through different sort of things in Autumn."
Ed has also released a live version of his 'Autumn Variations' album, which was recorded in fans' homes.
What is Ed Sheeran's sixth album called?
Ed's sixth album is called 'Subtract', it is the last album in the mathematical series.
Ed announced in March 2023 that his album 'Subtract' would be out on 5th May 2023. The singer shared a video of himself walking down a beach which had the song names written in sand.
Does Ed Sheeran have a documentary?
In March 2023, Ed announced a documentary would be released on Disney+ called The Sum of It All. The documentary was released on 3rd May 2024 as a four-part documentary. It includes never-before-seen personal footage, and show Ed's inspiration behind some of his biggest hits.
Is Ed Sheeran on tour?
Ed Sheeran is currently on his epic 'Mathematics' tour, which he started back in 2022, and will continue into 2025. On the last day of the 2023 leg, he told his fans that he was going to release an album of the songs he performs on his tour.
Featuring 22 songs, the 'Mathematics Tour Collection' also including some voicenotes from the singer.
During the European leg of his tour, he performed 'You Are The Reason' with Calum Scott. During his gig in Detroit in July 2023, Ed brought out the one and only Eminem, with the pair duetting on his iconic 'Lose Yourself' to the delight of fans.
WATCH: 10 facts you never knew about Ed Sheeran
Does Ed Sheeran like taking selfies with fans?
Ed Sheeran revealed that what he really enjoys when meeting fans is having a conversation with them, and he prefers this to just snapping a quick selfie. He told us: "I would rather a conversation than a selfie, and I feel like people want to do a selfie because they think it's quick. But I would rather talk to someone. I feel like a selfie kind of cheapens the moment."
Does Ed Sheeran have tattoos?
He most certainly does - MANY, in fact! To name a few, Ed has a giant lion tattoo on his chest and the Sagrada Familia inked on his stomach, decorating his arms he has items such as three boxing gloves, a koala, the Heinz Tomato Ketchup logo, a cup of tea and some lego.
All of Ed's tattoos hold a personal meaning to him, with many also relating to some of his songs.
He also has 'Everything that happens is from now on', a lyric from Bon Iver's song 'Re: Stacks', in the singer's handwriting, and also has a teddy bear on his right arm to reference his nickname Teddy.
Ed got a tat of Henri Matisse's mother and child portrait on his arm as a tribute to his mum, explaining: "It was the first thing I bought with a pay cheque for my mum. I bought her a drawing of mother and child."
Has Ed ever surprised his fans?
He certainly has! In April 2023, Ed gave a New York City busker the surprise of his life by offering to duet with him. 62-year-old Mike Yung was entertaining commuters at Church Street subway station in Brooklyn with his rendition of Ed's track, 'Eyes Closed'.
Mike was shocked when Ed turned up on the platform and asked if he could join in. The pair went on to sing together for a few moments, with Mike saying that the interaction 'made his day' after the track ended.
After sharing a hug, Ed went on to offer Mike free tickets to his next show at Brooklyn's Kings Theatre, where he performed his new album 'Subtract' in full for the first time in America.
On tour, Ed often likes to bring out special guests, who the audience will know. While in India in March 2024, Ed surprised fans by performing in Punjabi alongside Diljit Dosanjh. He told his fans it was the first time he had performed in Punjabi.
During the tour he has also brought out Ben & Ben in the Philippines and JJ Lin, amongst others.
Did Ed Sheeran perform at the Super Bowl Half-Time show?
Ed did not perform at the Super Bowl Half-Time show in 2024, with R&B legend Usher taking to the stage instead for the 2024 Super Bowl Half-Time show.
In August 2023, Ed revealed he didn't think he had the "pizazz" for the show, however he had considered being a guest.
Speaking on the Deep & Shallow podcast with Andy Cohen, Ed explained: "I think it’s an American thing. I don’t have pizazz."
He then listed previous performers saying: "Like, all of these amazing performers - I’m just not that. I’m not gonna have dancers on stage. I’m not gonna have fireworks and blah blah. I just can’t, that’s not me. I don’t think that anyone wants to see me do the Super Bowl either." We'll disagree with you there Ed!
Ed Sheeran on social media
You can find Ed on Instagram, where his username is teddysphotos, and on X (formerly Twitter) with the handle edsheeran. Ed is also on TikTok, where he has the username edsheeran and has an incredible 14.5 million followers. Ed was named in the top 10 most viewed artists on TikTok in the UK in 2023.
You can hear Ed Sheeran on the Downtown Radio playlist!
Now take a look at songs that Ed Sheeran has written for other artists:
Olly Murs - 'Love Shine Down', featuring Jessie J (2010)
'Love Shine Down' featuring Jessie J was an album track on Olly's self-titled album from 2010, co-written by Ed, Olly and four other people.
Hear the song on YouTube here.
One Direction - 'Little Things' (2012)
Co-written by Ed, 'Little Things' was a Number 1 hit for the boy band One Direction in 2012. It appeared on their second album, 'Take Me Home', and Ed worked with songwriter Fiona Bevan and producer Jake Gosling to create it.
Watch the music video on YouTube here.
They also worked together on 'Moments', from their debut album 'Up All Night'.
Taylor Swift - 'Everything Has Changed' featuring Ed Sheeran (2013)
Written by both Ed and Taylor, this single reached the Top 10 around the world in 2013.
Watch the music video on YouTube here.
Ed and Taylor also worked together on 'End Game' from her sixth album 'Reputation', released in 2017.
One Direction - '18' (2014)
'18' was another song released by One Direction and written by Ed Sheeran. It was a promotional song released in 2014.
Hear the song on YouTube here.
Jessie Ware - 'Say You Love Me'
Ed co-wrote 'Say You Love Me' and even provided backing vocals for Jessie Ware's track. The stripped back love song features on her fourth album 'Tough Love' which came out in 2014.
Hilary Duff - 'Tattoo' (2015)
Disney star Hilary Duff released her 5th album 'Breathe In. Breathe Out.' in 2015, worked with Ed on the song 'Tattoo'.
Watch the video on YouTube.
Justin Bieber - 'Love Yourself' (2015)
Ed joined forces with Justin for 'Love Yourself' which was a hit in 2015 all around the world, reaching the top spot in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Sweden, as well as spending six weeks at Number 1 in the UK. Ed nearly kept the track for his own album, '÷', but it ended up with Justin instead.
Watch the music video on YouTube here.
Ed and Biebs also worked together on 'The Feeling', which appeared on his fourth album 'Purpose' released in 2015.
Rixton - 'Hotel Ceiling' (2015)
Released in 2015, this song was the third song from Rixton's debut album. Ed worked on the song with producer Benny Blanco, and the video starred Hollywood actress Alice Eve.
Watch the music video on YouTube here.
Rudimental - 'Lay It All On Me' featuring Ed Sheeran (2015)
Co-written by drum and bass group Rudimental and Ed, this single was a hit in 2015 and appeared on the group's second album 'We The Generation' in that year. It was the second collaboration for Ed and the group, who co-wrote and also remixed 'Bloodstream' on Ed's album 'x'.
Watch the music video on YouTube here.
The Weeknd - 'Dark Times' (2015)
Ed and The Weeknd worked together on 'Dark Times' for his second album, 'Beauty Behind the Madness'. As well as writing the song together, Ed also provided vocals on the track.
Major Lazer featuring Justin Bieber and Mø - 'Cold Water' (2016)
Ed was also co-writer on another Justin Bieber track, which also worked with DJ group Major Lazer, made up of Diplo, Jillionaire and Walshy Fire, with the song also featuring Danish singer and producer MØ. It reached Number 1 in the UK in 2016.
Watch the lyric video on YouTube here.
Matt Terry - 'When Christmas Comes Around' (2016)
Ed worked with his collaborator Amy Wadge for The X Factor 2016 winner Matt Terry on his winners' single, 'When Christmas Comes Around'.
Watch the official music video on YouTube.
Robbie Williams - 'Pretty Woman' (2016)
'Pretty Woman' is featured on Robbie's album, 'The Heavy Entertainment Show', released in 2016. Ed co-wrote the song with Robbie, teamed up with Benny Blanco again and also producer Steve Robson for the track.
Hear the song on YouTube here.
Eminem - 'River' (2017)
Ed co-wrote and appeared on Eminem's track 'River' from his 2017 album 'Revival'. It reached Number 1 in the UK charts and was also certified Platinum. The music video for the song received a nomination for Best Cinematography at the MTV VMAs 2018.
Watch the official video on YouTube.
Zara Larsson - 'Don't Let Me Be Yours' (2017)
This song was co-written by Zara and Ed along with some other songwriters including Snow Patrol's Johnny McDaid. Ed also provided backing vocals on the track, which appeared on Zara's second album 'So Good', released in 2017.
Watch the music video on YouTube here.
James Blunt - 'Make Me Better' (2017)
James hired Ed's songwriting talents for his 5th album 'The Afterlove', working on both 'Make Me Better' and 'Time of Our Lives'.
Listen to the song on YouTube.
Liam Payne - 'Strip That Down', featuring Quavo (2017)
The debut solo single from former One Directioner Liam Payne was co-written by Ed, Liam and Quavo who also features on the track. Ed also provided uncredited backing vocals for the song, which reached Number 3 in the UK charts.
Watch the music video on YouTube here.
They also worked together on Liam's 2019 single 'Stack It Up' featuring A Boogie wit da Hoodie.
Rita Ora - 'Your Song' (2017)
Rita Ora made her comeback in 2017 with a song penned by the fantastic Ed, which also served as the lead single from her second album, 'Phoenix, released in 2018.
Watch the music video on YouTube here.
DJ Snake and Lauv - 'A Different Way' (2017)
DJ Snake and Lauv worked together on 'A Different Way' in 2017, roping in Ed for the songwriting along with Snow Patrol's Johnny McDaid, as well as Steve Mac, Ilsey Juber and Lindy Robbins.
Watch the official video on YouTube.
Anne-Marie - '2002' (2018)
Anne-Marie's most popular song as it stands is '2002', which she co-wrote with Ed and who encouraged her to release it as a single. It peaked at Number 3 in the UK charts.
Watch the music video on YouTube here.
Olly Murs - 'Moves' featuring Snoop Dogg (2018)
Ed and Olly teamed up once again in 2018 for Olly's comeback single, 'Moves', which also featured vocals from Snoop Dogg. The track featured on the soundtrack for Johnny English Strikes Again.
Watch the music video on YouTube here.
Jess Glynne - 'Thursday' (2018)
Ed helped Jess Glynne pen this song, which is all about how people shouldn't be forced to hide behind a mask and should feel free to express themselves. Jess has stated that it's one of her "favourites", and that it's "close to her heart".
Watch the music video on YouTube here.
Little Mix - 'Woman Like Me' featuring Nicki Minaj (2018)
Little Mix's feminist powerhouse track featuring Nicki Minaj was actually co-written by Ed himself along with Jess Glynne for her own album, 'Always In Between', but said that it "didn't fit" with the other songs and gave it to Little Mix instead.
Watch the music video on YouTube here.
Keith Urban - 'Parallel Line' (2018)
Ed worked with country music star Keith Urban on his single 'Parallel Line' which featured on his 10th album 'Graffiti U'. Ed and Keith worked with Snow Patrol's Johnny McDaid as well as Benny Blanco, Amy Wadge and Julia Michaels - and also features a sample of 'Everglow' by Coldplay from their album, 'A Head Full of Dreams'.
Listen to the song on YouTube.
'Because I Had You' - Shawn Mendes (2018)
Shawn worked with Ryan on his self-titled third album, released in May 2018. Ryan co-wrote 'Particular Taste' and 'Because I Had You', and also co-produced both of those songs.
Listen on YouTube.
Boyzone - 'Because' (2018)
Boyzone teamed up with Ed for 'Because', the lead single from their final album 'Thank You & Goodnight', released in 2018. It was written by Ed along with lead singer Ronan Keating as well as John Shanks and Amy Wadge.
Watch the official music video on YouTube.
Benny Blanco, Halsey and Khalid - 'Eastside' (2018)
Singers Halsey and Khalid teamed up with producer Benny Blanco on 2018 track 'Eastside', working with Ed on the songwriting. The track went to Number 1 in the UK and was also certified 2x Platinum.
Watch the official music video on YouTube.
BTS - 'Make It Right' (2019)
South Korean band BTS worked with Ed on their 2019 song 'Make It Better', which appeared on their EP 'Map of the Soul: Persona'. They released another version of the song later in 2019 with featured singer Lauv.
Watch the official music video on YouTube.
Westlife - 'Hello My Love' (2019)
Ed Sheeran wrote the comeback single for Irish band Westlife, 'Hello My Love', which appeared on their 2019 album 'Spectrum'. The song became a massive hit with Westlife fans.
Watch the music video on YouTube here.
Ed also worked with Westlife on some of their other 'Spectrum' album tracks: 'Better Man', 'Dynamite', 'My Blood' and 'One Last Time', as well as non-album track 'Anywhere'.
Anne-Marie - 'Beautiful' (2021)
In July 2021, Anne-Marie released her track 'Beautiful', co-written by Ed Sheeran and Max Martin. The track features on her second studio album 'Therapy', which was released on 23rd July 2021.
JLS - 'Eternal Love' (2021)
Fans were over the moon when JLS announced that they were getting back together - not only were the boys heading on a reunion tour, but they were even releasing new music. And what better way to break out onto the music scene again than by releasing a track co-written by Ed Sheeran?!
The track 'Eternal Love' featured on JLS's latest album '2.0', which was released on 3rd December 2021.
Watch the music video on YouTube
Camilla Cabello -'Bam Bam' (2022)
Ed joined Camilla Cabello on her track 'Bam Bam' and even co-wrote the song. According to Camilla they worked together with Ricky Reed and Scott Harris to turn an older version of the song into the Latin hit it is now, and it only took them a day to write and record it!
Watch the music video on YouTube
Lewis Capaldi - 'Pointless' (2022)
Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi spoke about the process of writing his song 'Pointless' with Ed, telling the BBC he was hesitant to collaborate with him: "Every British artist who has a Number 1 record seems to have Ed on it. That's a testament to how good he is but I was wary of it. My ego was going, 'I don't want people thinking Ed wrote my song'."
In the end, the pair did work together and co-wrote the track, which was released on Friday 2nd December and will feature on Lewis' second album, 'Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent', slated for release in 2023.
Watch the lyric video on YouTube.
David Guetta, Anne-Marie, Coi Leray - 'Baby Don't Hurt Me' (2023)
Ed is credited as a writer on David Guetta's huge track 'Baby Don't Hurt Me', which features Anne-Marie and Coi Leray. The song also features a sample from the classic dance track, 'What is Love?' by Haddaway.
Perrie - 'Forget About Us' (2024)
Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards released her first solo single in April 2024 and it was co-written by Ed Sheeran. The singer revealed Ed sent her the song which she loved, and after making a few tweaks to it she recorded it.
Read more:
Ed Sheeran's career journey: From street busker to global superstar
Taylor Swift’s biggest collaborations: From Ed Sheeran to Shawn Mendes 🎶
Anne-Marie and Ed Sheeran's friendship through the years