New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Elektra recording artist
Ed Sheeran is shaping up as the first true star of the new year as his GRAMMY-nominated single, "The A Team," ascends to #10 at CHR/Top 40 radio outlets across the country. What's more, the track - featured on the British singer/songwriter's acclaimed debut album, "+" - is a multi-format favorite, currently up to #6 at Hot AC outlets (where the song has remained on the chart for a format-leading 38 weeks), as well as a top 20 smash on Billboard's all-encompassing "Hot 100."
With sales now in excess of 1.2 million, "
The A Team" has proven an undeniable phenomenon, catapulting the gifted Sheeran to the forefront of modern pop. A critical and popular sensation both here and in Sheeran's native United Kingdom, the single was recently honored with a prestigious "Song of the Year" nomination for the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards, set to be presented Sunday, February 10th at Los Angeles' Staples Center and broadcast live on CBS from 8-11:30 pm (ET/PT).
Along with its multi-format radio success, "
The A Team" is equally popular at MTV and VH1, where it earlier reached #1 on the network's Top 20 Countdown. The latter channel also named Sheeran as one of their "You Oughta Know" artists -- a list that has previously elevated such top stars as Bruno Mars, Adele, and
Mumford & Sons -- followed by his headlining last fall's sold out "VH1 You Oughta Know" U.S. tour. As if that weren't enough, "
The A Team" companion video clip continues to light up the Internet, earning nearly 52 million individual views at Sheeran's official YouTube channel, www.YouTube.com/EdSheeran.
Sheeran has also managed to find time to collaborate with a number of his chart-topping contemporaries, including Taylor Swift, with whom he co-wrote and recorded the extraordinary duet, "Everything Has Changed (Feat. Ed Sheeran)." The track -- which is featured on Swift's blockbuster new album, "RED" -- was an immediate sensation, debuting #1 on the iTunes "Top Singles" chart upon its release last year. Furthermore, Sheeran's fellow British exports
One Direction have recorded a number of his distinctive songs, including "
Moments" (found on 2012's worldwide #1 debut, "UP ALL NIGHT") as well as two top tracks -- "Over Again" and the U.K. #1 hit, "
Little Things" -- on the million-selling, chart-topping new release "TAKE ME HOME."
Sheeran is currently poised to begin his biggest U.S. headline tour to date. The 2013 trek gets underway January 17th at Houston's House of Blues and then continues through mid-February. Only a handful of tickets remain with most shows long sold out, including dates at such renowned venues as New York's world famous
Radio City
Music Hall, Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, and Los Angeles' Hollywood Palladium. For complete details and remaining ticket information, please see https://edsheeran.com/live.htm. Following his headlining tour, Sheeran will support the aforementioned
Taylor Swift on her hugely anticipated "The RED Tour." The trek gets underway March 13th and 14th with a two-night stand in Omaha, Nebraska, and then continues through mid-September, hitting arenas and stadiums across North
America (see itinerary below).
In addition, Sheeran will be among the artists performing at The GRAMMY® Foundation's 15th Annual
Music Preservation Project, entitled "Play It Forward: A Celebration Of Music's Evolution And Influencers." The annual GRAMMY® week celebration -- presented by Seagate and also featuring performances from Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris, among others -- is slated for Thursday, February 7th at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills.
In other news, Sheeran is set to introduce his next single, "Lego House," with an upcoming live performance on NBC's TODAY, set for Thursday, January 31st (check local listings). The appearance follows a string of nationally televised performances, including ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live, NBC's TODAY, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and Last Call with Carson Daly, TBS' Conan, and the nationally syndicated
Ellen DeGeneres Show, LIVE with
Kelly & Michael, and Katie. In addition, Sheeran was recently the subject of a major profile feature on
National Public Radio's "Morning Edition," which can be heard now at www.npr.org/2013/01/02/168366077/ed-sheeran-all-pluses-no-minuses.
Masterfully blending soulful vocals with organic folk introspection and irresistible hip-hop hooks, Sheeran is a genuine phenomenon. Inspired by such diverse artists as
James Morrison,
Damien Rice, and Jay-Z, the gifted tunesmith's major label debut single, "The A Team," proved an unqualified sensation upon its 2011 arrival, entering among the top 3 on the U.K. Singles Chart. The track spent 11 consecutive weeks in the U.K. Top 10, making history as 2011's highest charting, biggest selling debut single. Sheeran's full-length debut, "+," soon followed, entering the U.K. Albums Chart at #1 with the highest opening sales figures for a debut male solo artist ever and is now certified 5x platinum.
In addition to their popular success, Sheeran and "+" received extensive acclaim, including the prestigious "Breakthrough Artist" trophy at the Q Awards 2011. Even greater accolades came in early 2012 as Sheeran emerged victorious with a pair of top 2011 Brit Awards -- including "Best Male Artist" and "Best Breakthrough Artist" -- after having led the field with a remarkable four total nods. Furthermore, "
The A Team" received the high honor of a 2012 Ivor Novello Award nomination in the "Best Song Musically and Lyrically" category.
By now a full-fledged U.K. superstar, Sheeran was among the top artists performing at last year's Royal Diamond Jubilee Concert, where he celebrated the 60th anniversary of
Queen Elizabeth II's reign by sharing the stage with such rock royalty as Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, and Sir Tom Jones. After maintaining a virtually non-stop touring schedule that included countless main stage festival appearances around the globe, Sheeran closed his incredible summer with a memorable performance of Pink Floyd's "
Wish You Were Here" (alongside Pink Floyd's Nick Mason, Genesis' Mike Rutherford, and Richard Jones of The Feeling) at the London 2012 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony.
Here in the United States, "+"entered the SoundScan/Billboard 200 at #5 upon its release in June 2012, scoring the highest debut for a British solo artist's first full-length album since 2009. In addition, every date on Sheeran's first-ever North American headline tour sold out, with many shows upgraded to larger venues in order to accommodate an increasingly fervent fanbase.
By year's end, Sheeran had officially taken North
America by storm. Rolling Stone applauded the 21-year-old singer/songwriter in their coverage of Z100's annual Jingle Ball extravaganza at New York's Madison
Square Garden, writing that his "imprint was felt throughout the night... Screams greeted every mention of his name; his time on stage was accompanied by much yelling as well." USA Today and People both heralded Sheeran as one of the new year's brightest lights, while Billboard officially declared him to be "the breakout star of 2013," noting that "his distinct live shows... have helped him build a loyal audience -- not to mention earn screams loud enough to rival Bieber's and One Direction's."
For up-to-the-minute news and information, please see www.edsheeran.com, www.twitter.com/EdSheeran, www.facebook.com/EdSheeranMusic, www.elektrarecords.com and www.top40-charts.com.
(TOUR ITINERARY BELOW)
ED SHEERAN NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2013
(3/13-8/21 w/Taylor Swift)
JANUARY
17 Houston, TX Bayou
Music Center - SOLD OUT!
18 Dallas, TX The Palladium Ballroom - SOLD OUT!
19 Austin, TX Stubbs Bar-B-Q - SOLD OUT!
21 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle - SOLD OUT!
22 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium - SOLD OUT!
24 Detroit, MI The Fillmore
Detroit - SOLD OUT!
25 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's - SOLD OUT!
26 Indianapolis, IN Egyptian Room - SOLD OUT!
28 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE - SOLD OUT!
29 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live - SOLD OUT!
30 New York, NY Radio City
Music Hall - SOLD OUT!
FEBRUARY
1 Louisville, KY Palace Theatre - SOLD OUT!
2 St. Louis, MO The Pageant - SOLD OUT!
3 Kansas City, MO The
Midland - SOLD OUT!
5 Broomfield, CO 1st Bank Center
6 Magna, UT Great Salt Air
8 San Francisco, CA The Warfield - SOLD OUT!
9 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Palladium - SOLD OUT!
12 San Diego, CA Spreckels Theatre - SOLD OUT!
13 Tempe, AZ The Marquee - SOLD OUT!
14 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre - SOLD OUT!
17 Los Angeles, CA Nokia LA Live - SOLD OUT!
MARCH
13 Omaha, NE CenturyLink Center
14 Omaha, NE CenturyLink Center
18 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center
19 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center
22 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena
23 Columbia, SC
27 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
28 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
29 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
APRIL
10 Miami, FL American Airlines Arena
11 Orlando, FL Amway Center
12 Orlando, FL Amway Center
18 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
19 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
20 Tampa, FL Tampa Bay Times Forum
25 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena
26 Indianapolis, IN Bankers Life Fieldhouse
27 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena
MAY
4 Detroit, MI Ford Field
7 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center
8 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena
11 Washington, DC Verizon Center
12 Washington, DC Verizon Center
16 Houston, TX Toyota Center
21 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center
22 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
25 Dallas, TX Cowboys Stadium
28 Glendale, AZ Jobing.com Arena
29 Glendale, AZ Jobing.com Arena
JUNE
1 Salt Lake City, UT Energy Solutions Arena
2 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
14 Toronto, ON Rogers Center
15 Toronto, ON Rogers Center
22 Winnipeg, MB Investors Group Field
29 Vancouver, BC BC Place Stadium
JULY
6 Pittsburgh, PA Heinz Field
19 Philadelphia, PA Lincoln Financial Field
20 Philadelphia, PA Lincoln Financial Field
26 Foxboro, MA Gillette Stadium
27 Foxboro, MA Gillette Stadium
AUGUST
1 Des Moines, IA
2 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
3 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
6 Wichita, KS Intrust Bank Arena
7 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
10 Chicago, IL Soldier Field
15 San Diego, CA Valley View Casino Center
19 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
20 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
23 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
24 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
27 Sacramento, CA Sleep
Train Arena
30 Portland, OR Rose Garden Arena
31 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome
SEPTEMBER
6 Fargo, ND Fargodome
7 St. Paul, MN Xcel
Energy Center
8 St. Paul, MN Xcel
Energy Center
12 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum
13 Raleigh, NC PNC Arena
14 Charlottesville, VA John Paul Jones Arena
19 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
20 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
21 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena.
