Indie To Studio: Ed Sheeran
by
Guest Post Editorial
- added
28/08/2012
Have you ever wondered how exactly a musical artist goes from being an indie performer to a commercial success? Of course, not all indie music performers necessarily want to be thrust into mainstream success, but those who do end up being signed by major record labels usually achieve this dream through all sorts of different ways. Sometimes it’s just a matter of being heard by the right person and signed to a booking agency like MN2S. These days, some artists are even becoming popular by way of putting their music up on YouTube and hoping to be heard by someone with some influence! And for others, it just takes raw persistence. In the case of UK singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran, persistence paid off.
Born in Halifax, Ed Sheeran apparently learned the guitar at a very young age and never left it alone. He even credits Van Morrison as an early influence, having listened to Morrison’s music in the car on trips to London as a boy. Generally, to say an artist who is successful at only 21 years got to this point through persistence may seem a bit strange, as even the most dedicated artists are often not discovered until later in life. However, because Sheeran started developing his appreciation and talent for music so early, it seems appropriate to credit his lifelong efforts.
Sheeran first began working on his own recordings in 2005, when he was only 14 years of age, and by 2007 he had already released an EP and two albums. Following his passion in 2008 at the age of 17, Sheeran moved to London to start playing shows and recording more music. In 2009, he famously played 312 shows over the course of the year, a remarkable number for a young artist. But it was in the following year that Sheeran got his big break, transitioning from hard-working independent artist to commercial success.
In 2010, Sheeran moved to Los Angeles and began playing at casual open mic events, and at one of these events he earned the attention of Hollywood star Jamie Foxx, who immediately took an active role in nurturing and promoting Sheeran’s talent. Through Foxx’s recording studio, a number of YouTube video releases, and the commercial success of his EP “Loose Change,” Sheeran began to grow his name in a very real way. He released his last independent album in 2011, and made his studio debut not long after that with the release of “+,” which has already become a very popular album not just in the UK, but all over the world. At 21, Sheeran has mass popularity, commercial success, and is a wonderful example of the persistence and passion it takes to make it in the music business.
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