Ed SheeranName: Edward Christopher Sheeran Age 23 years (February 17, 1991) Born: Halifax- England Occupation: Singer/Songwriter Genre: Indie Signed to: Atlantic Records/ Asylum Awards won 32/ Nominations 94 Ed Sheeran has rapidly grown to huge success in the past few years. Having grown from an internet sensation. Sheeran broke through commercially in June 2011, when his debut single "The A Team" debuted at number three on the UK Singles Chart. Buoyed by the chart success of the singles "The A Team" and "Lego House", his debut album + has been certified quadruple platinum in the United Kingdom. In 2012, he won two BRIT Awards for Best British Male Solo Artist, and British Breakthrough of the Year, while "The A Team" also won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. History – Early Music Career Ed had an interest in playing the guitar form a young age and was writing songs and playing for students at Thomas Miller High School that he attended He recorded his first EP in 2005 at the age of 15, this was called The Orange Room and led to the release of this first two albums in 2006 and 2007. In 2009 Ed began to work very hard in an attempt to get his music heard. His inspiration came from James Morrison who was reported to play 200 gigs in a year. A determined Ed Sheeran matched this and went on to play 312 Gigs. 2009/10 In 2009 Ed produced another EP titled You Need Me which was put onto sites such as YouTube so that his name would spread. His next breakthrough came in 2010 when his talents were spotted by rapper Example, Example came across Ed after seeing a video posted on SBTV. This is an online channel for young upcoming artists to get there music heard. Example saw Ed on this site and invite him to come and tour with him, having noticed his massive potential. 2011… In January 2011 Ed Sheeran's rise in popularity was apparent as his entirely independent EP peaked at Number 2 in the iTunes chart. Selling over 7,000 copies. It was at this point that Ed Sheeran was signed by Atlantic Records/ Asylum. The summer of 2011 saw the release of Ed Sheeran debut Single ‘A- Team’ This reached number 3 in the charts. Throughout this summer Ed played many more live performers, including various stages at Reading and Glastonbury. “+” Having released 5 Ep’s Ed and Atlantic Records finally released his debut album ‘+’ On September 9 th 2011. In the first week sold 102,000 copies and went on to be the 9th Biggest selling British album in 2011. Therefore being granted Triple platinum by BPI for selling over 1,000,000 copies. Starter Indie genre • Discuss 2 mins • • • • • • Codes and conventions of the indie genre Theme of songs Song lyrics Clothing Iconography etc Codes and conventions • • • • • • • • • • Themes – Realistic, hard-hitting, resonate with youth. Takes itself more seriously Range of musical styles but same ethos Autonomous and less concerned with commercial success Niche audiences ‘Real’ Talent – music video Urban gritty settings Casual clothing Lyrics – tell stories related to ‘real life’ Narrative – raw & unglamorous, focus on emotions. Artist not the focus – narrative What is indie? Debates • "Indie" has pretty much just replaced "alternative" as a broad genre tag which indicates a juxtaposition to mainstream pop music. The term may have originally referred to an artists record label status, but now just refers to a very broad inclination towards originality and artistic integrity. • I - Inspired N - Nontraditional D - Determined I - Innovative E - Empowered Hybrid • Indie/pop – has some more conventional pop songs • Sheeran has called himself ‘acoustic soul’ • collaborations – rap and hip hop • Genre theory? • Audience? The five EP’s • The title derived from a time when there was no "hype" surrounding Sheeran and he decided to create a buzz by producing five EP's, an indie-style EP, a singer-songwriter EP, a folkstyle EP, a live EP and a collaborations EP which was the fifth leading to the title No.5 Collaborations Project. Released 7 January 2011 • Sheeran gained mainstream attention. Three months later, Sheeran was signed to Asylum / Atlantic Records. No. 5 Collaborations Project Grime EP by British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was the fifth out of five EPs recorded in a hope to get him signed by a record label. Sheeran wanted each song to act as a musical and tried to avoid lyrics about women. Track listing 1. "Lately" (featuring Devlin) 4:32 2. "You" (featuring Wiley) 3:26 3. "Family" (featuring P Money) 4:15 4. "Radio" (featuring JME) 3:41 5. "Little Lady" (featuring Mikill Pane) 5:31 6. "Drown Me Out" (featuring Ghetts) 4:24 7. "Nightmares" (featuring Random Impulse, Sway & Wretch 32) 4:05 8. "Goodbye to You" (featuring Dot Rotten) • The EP is composed of "haunting" and "sensitive production" which "meshes the protagonist’s acoustic compositions with sombre, intense beats”. • The first track "Lately" features rapper Devlin and lyrically discusses insomnia and stress deriving from their work as musicians. • "You" features rapper Wiley lyrically talks of family • "Family" which features P Money creates a "tense atmosphere" and recalls a near fatal car crash P Money was involved in. • The dark mood is furthered with track "Little Lady" a re-recording of Sheeran's single "The A Team" which features vocals from Mikill Pane and is about a prostitute addicted to crack cocaine.