Ed Sheeran's Success and Achievements in Timeline

A closer look at the biggest achievements of Ed Sheeran. Awards, milestones, and records that define success.

Ed Sheeran is an English singer-songwriter who started writing songs around age eleven. Born in Halifax and raised in Framlingham, he gained early recognition with his independently released extended play, 'No. 5 Collaborations Project', in 2011. That same year, he signed with Asylum Records, marking the beginning of his mainstream music career.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

January 2011: Release of No. 5 Collaborations Project EP

On 8 January 2011, Ed Sheeran released his independent EP, No. 5 Collaborations Project, featuring grime artists. The EP reached number 2 in the iTunes chart without promotion, selling over 7,000 copies in the first week, gaining him mainstream attention.

September 2011: Release of + ("Plus")

In September 2011, Ed Sheeran's debut album, + ("Plus"), was released. It quickly topped the UK Albums Chart and featured his first hit single, "The A Team".

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February 2012: Brit Awards Wins

At the 2012 Brit Awards on 21 February, Ed Sheeran won the Brit Awards for Best British Male Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act of the Year.

March 2012: Sales of + Album Surpass 1 Million Copies in the UK

As of March 2012, Ed Sheeran's debut album, +, had sold 1,021,072 copies in the UK, marking a significant milestone in sales and solidifying its success.

May 2012: Ivor Novello Award for "The A Team"

At the Ivor Novello Awards in May 2012, Ed Sheeran's "The A Team" won Best Song Musically and Lyrically, beating Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" and Florence and the Machine's "Shake It Out".

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2012: Named Baron of Sealand

In 2012, Ed Sheeran was named a baron of Sealand.

2012: Brit Awards Wins

In 2012, Ed Sheeran won two Brit Awards, one for Best British Male Solo Artist and another for British Breakthrough Act, acknowledging his rising success in the music industry.

October 2013: Headlining Shows at Madison Square Garden

In October 2013, Ed Sheeran headlined three sold-out shows at New York's Madison Square Garden, marking a significant milestone in his career.

2013: "The A Team" Grammy Nomination

In 2013, Ed Sheeran's "The A Team" received a nomination for Song of the Year at the Grammy Awards. Elton John appeared with Sheeran at the ceremony to circumvent organizers' concerns about Sheeran's profile.

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June 2014: First number-one single in the UK

By early June 2014, Ed Sheeran's song "Sing" had earned him his first number-one single in the UK.

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June 2014: Release of × (“Multiply”)

In June 2014, Ed Sheeran released his second studio album, × (“Multiply”). The album topped charts around the world, marking a significant achievement in his career.

2014: Spotify's Most-Streamed Artist

In 2014, Ed Sheeran was named Spotify's most-streamed artist, with 860 million streams on his catalogue, and his album × was the most-streamed album. He was also iTunes' best-selling artist in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand in 2014.

2014: Nomination for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards

In 2014, Ed Sheeran was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards, recognizing his growing impact on the music industry.

June 2015: Listed as 27th Highest-Earning Celebrity

In June 2015, Forbes listed Ed Sheeran's earnings at $57 million for the previous 12 months, ranking him the 27th-highest-earning celebrity in the world.

October 2015: Honorary Degree from the University of Suffolk

In October 2015, Ed Sheeran received an honorary degree from the University of Suffolk in Ipswich for his "outstanding contribution to music", commenting that Suffolk is where he calls home.

2015: Brit Award for British Male Solo Artist

In 2015, Ed Sheeran received a Brit Award for British Male Solo Artist.

2015: Album of the Year Win at Brit Awards and Ivor Novello Award

In 2015, Ed Sheeran's album × won Album of the Year at the Brit Awards. In the same year, he received the Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of the Year from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.

May 2016: Worldwide Recognition for Album ×

In May 2016, Ed Sheeran's album × was named the second-best-selling album worldwide in 2015, following Adele's 25.

2016: Grammy Award for Song of the Year

In 2016, Ed Sheeran received a Grammy Award for Song of the Year for "Thinking Out Loud,"

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2016: Grammy Awards for "Thinking Out Loud"

In 2016, Ed Sheeran's single "Thinking Out Loud" from the album ×, earned him Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance.

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March 2017: Start of Divide Tour and Chart Success

In March 2017, Ed Sheeran began the Divide Tour and had ten top-10 singles from the album ÷ on the UK Singles Chart, breaking Calvin Harris's record on 11 March 2017.

March 2017: Release of ÷ (“Divide”)

In March 2017, Ed Sheeran released his third album, ÷ (“Divide”). The album was the best-selling album worldwide of 2017. The first two singles, "Shape of You" and "Castle on the Hill", broke records in several countries by debuting in the top two chart positions. Sheeran also became the first artist to have two songs debut in the US top 10 in the same week. By March 2017, Sheeran had accumulated ten top-10 singles from ÷ on the UK Singles Chart, breaking the record for most top-10 UK singles from one album.

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March 2017: Beginning of ÷ Tour

In March 2017, Ed Sheeran's ÷ Tour began. The tour eventually became the highest-grossing of all time.

June 2017: Headlining Glastonbury and Artist of the Year Award

On 25 June 2017, Ed Sheeran headlined the final night of Glastonbury. He was also named Artist of the Year at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards.

December 2017: Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

Ed Sheeran received the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace on December 7, 2017, for services to music and charity, after being appointed to the order in the Birthday Honours earlier that year.

December 2017: Spotify's Most-Streamed Artist of the Year

In December 2017, Ed Sheeran was named Spotify's most-streamed artist of the year with 6.3 billion streams. His album ÷ was streamed 3.1 billion times, and his song "Shape of You" had 1.4 billion streams. He also collaborated with Eminem on the song "River" for the album Revival.

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2017: Best-Selling Single and Album

In 2017, Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" was named the best-selling single in the UK and US, and ÷ was named the best-selling album. He was also named the Global Recording Artist of the Year by the IFPI.

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2017: Second-Best Performing Artist of the Decade

In 2017, the BBC named Ed Sheeran the second-best performing artist of the decade, after Adele, recognizing his significant impact on the music industry.

January 2018: "Shape of You" Named Best-Selling Single of 2017

On 3 January 2018, "Shape of You" was named the best-selling single of 2017 in both the UK and the US.

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February 2018: Global Success Award at the Brit Awards

On 21 February 2018, Ed Sheeran performed "Supermarket Flowers" at the Brit Awards and received the Global Success Award from Elton John and Ronnie Wood.

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July 2018: Ninth Highest-Paid Celebrity

In July 2018, Forbes named Ed Sheeran ninth on their list of the highest-paid celebrities.

2018: Billboard Music Award for Top Artist

In 2018, Ed Sheeran received a Billboard Music Award for Top Artist, adding to his collection of accolades.

2018: Fourth-Greatest Yorkshireman

In a 2018 poll, Ed Sheeran was ranked the fourth-greatest Yorkshireman ever, despite regarding Suffolk as home.

August 2019: The ÷ Tour becomes the highest-grossing tour of all time.

In August 2019, Ed Sheeran's ÷ Tour reached a significant milestone, becoming the highest-grossing tour of all time.

December 2019: Artist of the Decade

In December 2019, Ed Sheeran was named artist of the decade by the Official Charts Company for his success in the UK album and singles charts throughout the 2010s.

December 2019: Named Artist of the Decade by the Official Charts Company

In December 2019, the Official Charts Company named Ed Sheeran artist of the decade, recognizing his combined success in the UK album and singles charts throughout the 2010s.

2019: Wealthiest Musician in the UK

According to The Sunday Times Rich List of 2019, Ed Sheeran was worth £160 million (US$207 million), making him the 17th-richest musician in the UK.

2019: Awards and Achievements

As of 2019, Ed Sheeran has received numerous awards, including four Grammy Awards, five Brit Awards, and six Billboard Music Awards, highlighting his success as one of the world's best-selling music artists.

2019: Release of No.6 Collaborations Project

In 2019, Ed Sheeran released his fourth overall and first collaborative album, No.6 Collaborations Project. It debuted at number one in most major markets and spawned three UK number one singles: "I Don't Care", "Beautiful People", and "Take Me Back to London".

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2021: Release of = (“Equals”)

In 2021, Ed Sheeran released his fifth studio album, = ("Equals"). It topped the charts in most major markets, continuing his streak of successful album releases.

April 2023: "Let's Get It On" Trial Verdict

In April 2023, the trial in New York concerning the "Let's Get It On" copyright case concluded with a unanimous verdict in favor of Ed Sheeran, with lawyers arguing that similar "building blocks" and chord progressions exist in many pop songs.

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