# Ed Sheeran > Ed Sheeran is an English singer-songwriter whose route from open-mic rooms and self-released EPs to global stadium tours was powered by unusually direct songs, relentless live practice and a one-person looping setup. Four Grammy wins, UK chart records and a historically successful Divide Tour tell the scale of the result; his more recent work, including the 2025 album Play, the Loop Tour and a national music-education foundation, shows him redirecting that scale toward collaboration, curiosity and access for young musicians. - **Role:** Singer-songwriter and founder of Gingerbread Man Records and the Ed Sheeran Foundation - **Organizations:** Gingerbread Man Records, Atlantic Records, Warner Music UK, Ed Sheeran Foundation, Ipswich Town Football Club - **From:** Halifax, England - **Nationality:** English - **Education:** Secondary education, Thomas Mills High School, Artist Development programme, Access to Music, Honorary doctorate for outstanding contribution to music, University of Suffolk - **Known for:** Four Grammy Awards from 17 nominations through the 2026 ceremony., Named the UK's Official Number 1 Artist of the Decade for 2010-2019 by the Official Charts Company., The 260-date Divide Tour drew more than 8.1 million people and, at completion, held Guinness records for the highest-grossing and highest-attendance music tour. ## Career timeline - **2004** — Began recording music as a teenager; his earliest independently made collection was Spinning Man. - **2008** — Moved to London to pursue live work, playing open mics and small venues. - **2010** — Played more than 300 live shows and built an online audience; appeared on Jamal Edwards's SB.TV platform. - **2011** — Released No.5 Collaborations Project independently, signed with Asylum Records and released debut album +; The A Team became his breakthrough single. - **2012** — Won BRIT Awards for British Breakthrough Act and British Male Solo Artist, then joined Taylor Swift's Red Tour in the United States the following year. - **2014** — Released ×, featuring Sing, Photograph and Thinking Out Loud; the album became his first Billboard 200 number one. - **2015** — Founded Gingerbread Man Records and played three sold-out Wembley Stadium shows. - **2016** — Won Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for Thinking Out Loud. - **2017** — Released ÷; all 16 tracks entered the UK Top 20, contributing to a later chart-rule change. He was appointed MBE for services to music and charity. - **2019** — Completed the 260-date Divide Tour after it set records for attendance and gross; Official Charts named him the UK's artist of the 2010s. - **2021** — Released = and scored UK number-one singles with Bad Habits and Shivers. - **2023** — Completed the mathematical-symbol album sequence with −, then released Autumn Variations. - **2024** — Won a Primetime Creative Arts Emmy for A Beautiful Game from Ted Lasso and acquired a 1.4% minority stake in Ipswich Town. - **2025** — Launched the Ed Sheeran Foundation, released Play and began a new album sequence named for playback controls. - **2026** — Continued the Loop Tour across Australia, North America and South America. ## Achievements - Four Grammy Awards from 17 nominations through the 2026 ceremony. - Named the UK's Official Number 1 Artist of the Decade for 2010-2019 by the Official Charts Company. - The 260-date Divide Tour drew more than 8.1 million people and, at completion, held Guinness records for the highest-grossing and highest-attendance music tour. - Divide and Shape of You were named the biggest UK album and song of the first decade of the streaming era in Official Charts data covering July 2014 to July 2024. - Appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2017 for services to music and charity. - Won the 2024 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for A Beautiful Game from Ted Lasso. - Inducted into the Ipswich Town ownership group with a 1.4% minority, non-voting stake in 2024. - The Ed Sheeran Foundation reports support for 18 schools and grassroots organisations reaching 12,000 young people across the UK. ## Latest updates - **2026-09** — The Loop Tour continued in North America. At his Philadelphia concert on September 19, Sheeran addressed controversy surrounding changes to the tour's support bill before performing the scheduled show. - **2026-09** — His official site listed further 2026 Loop Tour dates in the United States, Chile, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. - **2025-11** — A Super Deluxe Edition of Play followed the original album release. - **2025-09** — Released the 13-track album Play on September 12 through Gingerbread Man Records and Atlantic Records UK. - **2025-01** — Launched the Ed Sheeran Foundation to support music education in UK state schools and grassroots organisations. - **2024-08** — Acquired a 1.4% minority stake in Ipswich Town Football Club as a passive, non-voting shareholder. ## Links - Website: https://www.edsheeran.com/ - Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/edsheeran - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EdSheeran - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teddysphotos/ - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EdSheeranMusic/ - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@edsheeran --- Profile page: https://yespress.io/ed-sheeran Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io Last updated: 2026-09-21