FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCTOBER 27, 2017
ED SHEERAN EARNS RIAA-DIAMOND CERTIFICATION
FOR “THINKING OUT LOUD”
GRAMMY AWARD WINNING SONG SURPASSES 10 MILLION IN SALES AND STREAMS
2X-PLATINUM CERTIFIED "÷"CONTINUES TO BE THE BIGGEST SELLING ALBUM OF THE YEAR THUS FAR
THE ALBUM’S HISTORY MAKING LEAD SINGLE “SHAPE OF YOU”
NOW 7X-PLATINUM
NORTH AMERICAN STADIUM TOUR KICKS OFF AUGUST 18TH AT THE ROSE BOWL IN PASADENA, CA
*Download Hi-Res HERE*
Earlier today, global superstar Ed Sheeran took to Instagram to share the news that he has made history once more with the Diamond certification of his GRAMMY winning smash “Thinking Out Loud.” The single – which won a pair of awards, including “Song Of The Year,” at the 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards – has achieved sales and streams exceeding 10 million, becoming only the 15th song to do so since the RIAA first implemented the Diamond certification nearly 20 years ago.
Sheeran recently celebrated the 2x-Platinum certification of his blockbuster 3rd studio album “÷” (pronounced “divide”) and the 7x-Platinum certification of the album’s lead single “Shape Of You” during his sold-out, 3 night stand at Brooklyn’s Barclays Arena (see attached photo).
“÷” continues to be the biggest selling album of the year thus far. After debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 with the biggest first week sales at the time of its March release, “÷” remained in the chart’s top 10 for a staggering 24 weeks, and recently returned to the top 10, climbing to #6 this week. In the U.S. alone, tracks on “÷” have collectively earned more than 1 billion on demand streams. Sheeran has likewise enjoyed record-setting success with “Shape Of You,” which is now the most streamed on song ever on Spotify. In addition to topping Billboard’s “Hot 100” for 12 weeks, the hit song remained in the top 10 for 33 consecutive weeks, the most ever in the chart’s 59-year history. “Shape of You” and follow-up Platinum certified single “Castle On The Hill” debuted at #1 and #6 respectively on Billboard’s “Hot 100” upon their tandem release at the top of the year, establishing Sheeran as the first artist to ever have two singles make simultaneous top 10 debuts. In a recent GRAMMY preview, Billboard cited“÷” and “Shape Of You” as frontrunners for “Album Of The Year,” “Song Of The Year” and “Record Of The Year” nominations, respectively.
Last month, Sheeran launched “Perfect,” the latest single from “÷,” with nationally televised performances of the song on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and MTV’s “TRL.” The song has already begun its ascent up the pop radio charts while the companion lyric video is now up to over 100 million views after amassing over 3 million views in the first 24 hours.
Sheeran recently sat down for an in-depth interview on PBS’ “Charlie Rose,” where he also filmed a special acoustic performance of “Shape Of You.” Both can be viewed here. The singer-songwriter also returned to PBS’ “Austin City Limits” for the long running music series’ season premiere. The hour-long performance can be viewed here.
On the heels of this summer’s completely sold out arena tour, Sheeran announced details for his first-ever North American stadium tour. Dates begin next summer on August 18th at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA, and continue into November (see attached itinerary). Due to popular demand, a second show at Toronto’s Rogers Centre on August 31st has already been added – general on-sale for the show begins on Friday, October 27th at 10am ET via Ticketmaster.com. For more information, visit
In other news, Sheeran received 5 nominations for this year’s American Music Awards, earning nods for Artist Of The Year, Video Of The Year (“Shape Of You”), Favorite Male Artist – Pop & Rock, Favorite Song - Pop & Rock (“Shape Of You”), and Favorite Male Artist – Adult Contemporary. The American Music Awards will air on November 19th on ABC. Just last week, he took home “Best Act In The World Today” at the Q Awards in London.
Sheeran will close out the year, performing at iHeartRadio Jingle Ball concerts at the Staples Center in LA for KIIS-FM on December 1 and Madison Square Garden in NYC for Z-100 on December 8, as well as the 99.7 Now! Poptopia at the SAP Center in San Jose, CA, on December 2.
DOWNLOAD/STREAM “÷” HERE
ALL PRESS ASSETS AVAILABLE HERE
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Multi-platinum, multiple GRAMMY Award winning singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has quickly established himself as one of the world’s biggest musical artists with over 26 million albums sold and 5 billion Spotify streams. His third studio album “÷” (pronounced divide) has proven to be a global phenomenon of its own, selling over 4 million units worldwide in its first week. In the U.S., “÷” entered the Billboard 200 at #1 and has since been RIAA certified 2x-Platinum. The landmark album has also gone to #1 on iTunes in 102 countries around the world, and shattered the record for the highest first week Spotify streams ever, logging more than 375 million streams over the full week. Lead single “Shape Of You” earned Sheeran his first #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it held the top spot for 12 weeks, and has already been certified 6x-Platinum by the RIAA. Sheeran’s follow-up single “Castle on the Hill” has also been certified Platinum by the RIAA and has joined "Shape Of You” at the top of the radio charts. Sheeran has supported his latest album with a number of high profile, national television appearances including performances on the 59th GRAMMY Awards, Saturday Night Live, TODAY, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the 2017 Billboard Music Awards, and most recently the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards. Additional press highlights include Sheeran’s firstRolling Stone cover,inclusion inTIME’s “100 Most Influential People in the World,”CBS This MorningSunday profile, TheHoward Stern Show, The Late Late Show withJames Corden’sCarpool Karaokeand more. This summer, Sheeran received the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s 2017 Hal David Starlight Award which honors gifted young songwriters who are making a significant impact in the music industry with original compositions.
As one of the world's most in-demand songwriters, Sheeran has penned hit songs for both himself and other top artists including Taylor Swift, One Direction, The Weeknd, Major Lazer, Tori Kelley, and Justin Bieber, who’s blockbuster single “Love Yourself” was the #1 song on Billboard’s 2016 year end Hot 100 chart and nominated for “Song of the Year” at this year’s GRAMMY Awards. The song earned Sheeran his 11th GRAMMY nomination, and the third time in the prestigious, songwriting category. In 2015, Sheeran was named Songwriter of the Year at the Ivor Novello Awards, which celebrate, honor and reward excellence in British and Irish songwriting and composing. Sheeran’s “The A Team” had previously been recognized for Best Song Musically and Lyrically in 2012.
One of the planet’s most popular live performers, Ed has played sold out headline shows at some of the biggest venues around the world, including Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA, NYC’s Madison Square Garden where he played 3 sold out shows, Suncorp Stadium in Sydney, and London’s Wembley Stadium where he performed in front of 240,000 fans over 3 nights. Earlier this year, Sheeran kicked off his world tour in support of “÷,” with his 60-date North American summer leg set selling out in minutes.
Sheeran made a triumphant return to the UK’s Glastonbury Festival to headline the Pyramid Stage, once again performing with nothing but his guitar and loop pedal in front of an audience of nearly 200,000.
Sheeran launched his own imprint, Gingerbread Man Records, in 2015, with the signing of fellow British singer songwriter Jamie Lawson – whose self-titled album debuted at #1 in the UK – and Irish troubadour Foy Vance.
FOR MORE ON ED SHEERAN:
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PRESS CONTACTS:
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(TOUR ITINERARY ATTACHED)
(PHOTO ATTACHED –credit: Getty Images for Atlantic Records)
ED SHEERAN
2018 NORTH AMERICAN STADIUM TOUR
August
18Pasadena, CARose Bowl Stadium
25Seattle, WACenturyLink Field
30-31Toronto, ONRogers Centre
September
6St. Louis, MOBusch Stadium
15Foxboro, MAGillette Stadium
22East Rutherford, NJMetLife Stadium
27Philadelphia, PALincoln Financial Field
October
13Kansas City, MOArrowhead Stadium
17Fargo, NDFargodome
20Minneapolis, MNU.S. Bank Stadium
27Dallas, TXAT&T Stadium
31New Orleans, LAMercedes-Benz Superdome
November
3Houston, TXMinute Maid Park
7Tampa, FLRaymond James Stadium
10Atlanta, GAMercedes-Benz Stadium
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