Who Is Ed Sheeran?

He's got an EP dropping with Yelawolf and counts Elton John among his fans. Find out more about this rising star from the UK.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Intro

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Leaving School

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Influences and UK Hip-Hop

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Influences and UK Hip-Hop

Ed Sheeran: "Song writing wise, I'm influnenced by people like Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Damien Rice. Lyrically, I'm inspired by Jay-Z and Eminem." 

"Example, a rapper turned artist with a knack for catchy hooks, saw my video on SB.TV [the UK's top online "youth broadcaster"] and invited me on my first big tour. My relationship with Devlin came through touring with Example. We shared a dressing room and I would spend every day just jamming with him.


 

I mean, I guess I'm a rapper at heart. I'm just a rapper who can sing better than he can rap. So, I guess there is that.


 

"People like [British rappers] Wretch and Devlin are… I mean they are influences as well. Everyone I worked with on my collaborations EP were among my favorite rappers. Anyone from P Money, o‪ne of the first people to fuse the grime style with dubstep‬, to Dot Rotton, who is one of the best songwriters in the scene. I'm influenced by Wiley [the Godfather of Grime] and Wretch, he's widly considered a "rapper's rapper." Devlin, he's just one of the best. Those guys are on the No. 5 Collaborations Project EP are my top.

"I think K-Koke [who is signed to Roc Nation] is brilliant. He's just dropped a new song called "Power" that's great. His song with Emily Sande, "Last Train Home," that for me, is the pinnacle of great songs, rapper wise. I think it is amazing.

"This guy ScruFizzer, he's just put up a "Warm Up Session" on SBTV, is a very skippy rapper. I think he'd be amazing to work with.

"Beat-boxing isn't something I pride myself on doing well. It is just something that allows me to create precision on stage live. I am not the world's best, or worst beat boxer. But, when I put it in the mix with everything else it seems to work."

Importance of YouTube

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The Importance of YouTube

Ed Sheeran: "YouTube, for new artists nowadays, is really important. Even from the perspective of this—you can write a new song and film it on your phone. Then you upload it to YouTube and get and instant reaction. That's a powerful thing. Giving out music really helps you generate a fan base. You can film music videos cheaply and get them out right away, like I did with the "A-Team." I did a gig in a homeless shelter and I met a woman there. The song is based on her story.


 

I did the video for "A-Team" for 20 quid. About $40.


 

"Being on SB.TV [a UK online platform known best for underground grime and rap freestyle videos] happened out of freak coincidence. He [Jamal] saw one of my videos on YouTube and and I happen to have tweeted him one day because said, "what film should I watch?" I mentioned precious, and he said "cool, let's make a video." The next day we made that video.

"Literally 20 seconds before I met you, I uploaded the trailer I made for the Yelawolf EP. That generates hype and is better than me just tweeting about it or anything else. It's like, here's a video of us making a tune. The EP is coming out in two weeks. It is a really powerful tool."

Working With Yelawolf

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Breaking In America

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