When Ed Sheeran Was Just Another Name on the Bill
When I first met Ed Sheeran, it was 2008/2009 and my band, Will & The People, was signed to RCA and gigging around London every week.
The original band scene back then was spread across various clubs, each night packing in as many acts as possible, playing half-hour sets. The hottest act went on last, pretending to “headline.”
Most of the bands were signed, and every one of them quietly believed they were the next big thing.
Between these gigs, some of us picked up support tours—paid for by the label—to open for bigger names. We hit the road with Paolo Nutini, Girls Aloud, The Hoosiers, The Script, and even played one show with Sting.
Amidst the sea of label-backed acts and trendy haircuts was this young, scruffy ginger kid who rapped awkwardly over acoustic guitar loops. He was everywhere, and nobody seemed to care. We all laughed—no one thought twice about him.
At the time, I was playing bass and directing a music video for every track we released (all now deleted). The videos started getting some attention, and one day, Ed Sheeran’s manager asked if I wanted to shoot a video for Ed. I politely declined—I had parties to attend!
About a year later, one of our bandmates quit, the MD of our label got sacked, and all 13 bands he’d signed were dropped overnight. Our never-released album, hyped by the industry, vanished. I stopped making music videos, stopped playing bass, and returned to teaching and playing the guitar.
Ed? Well, he kept rapping over that loop pedal…
From Sofas to Stadiums: Ed Sheeran’s Relentless Rise
Ed, in the meantime, was bouncing from gig to gig, sleeping on sofas, getting friendly with producers across the country, and writing with them on a weekly basis.
Over time, he became known not just for rapping awkwardly over loop pedals, but for his relentless work ethic.
In 2011, after my band had fizzled out, he released The A Team. That’s when it hit me—I probably should’ve made that video, written a few tunes with him, and maybe gone to fewer parties.
Still, surely Ed Sheeran’s success would be short-lived, like everyone else I’d seen come and go during those years, right?
Later that same year, his debut album + came out. Aside from The A Team, I didn’t think much of it—until I found out his producer and co-writer was Jake Gosling, a friend of a friend. That’s how close I was. Still, surely that was it for Ed Sheeran, right?
Instead of partying like my band had, Ed went on a whirlwind tour—just him and a guitar—promoting the album everywhere. Eventually, + hit #1 in five countries, including both the U.K. and the U.S.
It went on to sell four million copies, and (I’m guessing here) every band from 2009 thought it should have been them.
His second album, x, included a Pharrell-produced single, Sing, but it was Thinking Out Loud that truly blew up. While the world debated whether it was a rip-off of Let’s Get It On, Ed simply went back on tour.
By the end of it, x was a #1 album in 16 countries, selling over 10 million copies.
How Ed Sheeran Took Over the World (And I Missed the Music Video Boat)
Ed’s third album, ÷ (2016), marked his biggest triumph, with Perfect, Shape of You, Castle on the Hill, and Galway Girl all dominating the charts.
Shape of You became his signature song, hitting #1 in 34 countries and selling over 40 million copies. I really should have made that music video back in 2009…
At this point, Ed’s success was so undeniable that the children of older artists started claiming he’d ripped off their dad’s work—cue the Marvin Gaye estate. In the case of Shape of You, Ed admitted to being inspired by No Scrubs (TLC) and gave them a cut of the tune.
Now a full-blown superstar, everyone wanted a piece of the Sheeran cake. So, for his next release, he collaborated with just about everyone—Khalid, Max Martin, Cardi B, Chance the Rapper, Stormzy, Justin Bieber, Eminem, 50 Cent, H.E.R., Skrillex, Bruno Mars, and Chris Stapleton.
Titled No.6 Collaborations Project, it did well commercially, though perhaps no true Ed Sheeran classics emerged from it. I remember watching the video with Ed and Stormzy and feeling especially annoyed.
His next album, = (2021), saw success in smaller territories, but sales in the U.S. and U.K. were notably lower. Bad Habits was the standout track.
Then came – in 2023. When I heard it was released as a visual album—with a video for every song—I thought once more: I really should have said yes when his manager asked me to make one all those years ago.
The moral of the story? If you want to make it in the music industry, say yes. It clearly worked for Ed. I, on the other hand, said yes when someone asked: “Would you like another free beer?”
Ed Sheeran Tunes | Related Pages
Shape of You | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Shape of You by Ed Sheeran using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| C#m F#m7 | A (Bsus4) B |
The club isn’t the best place to find a lover so the bar is where I go…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Shape Of You (Ed Sheeran) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Ed Sheeran on the web
