Ed Sheeran's Incredible Breakout Story

In this video, we tell an inspiring musician success story: How Ed Sheeran became famous. - How he started writing songs at age 11, inspired by artists like Damien Rice and Nizlopi. - The voice-cracking way that Ed used to sing when he was an awkward teenager. - How he practiced for hours every day and played hundreds of gigs to become a great performer and songwriter. - How he moved to London, couch surfing and sleeping on the subway or outside Buckingham Palace. - How at the last minute he met Jamal Edwards (RIP), founder of the popular UK Grime YouTube channel SBTV, and how Ed blew up with a live performance video of his calling card, “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You.” - How Jamie Foxx helped a still homeless Ed establish a presence in the United States. - How Ed’s No 5 Collaborations Project, featuring artists like Devlin, Mikill Pane, Wiley, JME, Ghetts, and more, got him signed with Asylum Records (a subsidiary of Atlantic Records) - How Ed achieved mainstream success with his breakout single, “The A Team.” Today, Ed Sheeran is one of the most successful musicians of all time, with hits like “Shape of You,” “Perfect,” “Shivers,” “Bad Habits,” and “Thinking Out Loud,” from his Mathematics Series (and accompanying Mathematics Tour — one of the most successful tours of all time). Join us as we tell the true story of how Ed started his incredible career. 0:00 - Intro 0:57 - Childhood 1:51 - Overcoming Stutter 2:15 - Damien Rice and First Song 2:37 - Booking Gigs 3:06 - Nizlopi 4:09 - Ian Johnson and Access Creative College 4:55 - Britannia High 5:47 - Playing as Many Gigs as Possible, Becoming Homeless, Struggling to Get Record Deal 6:33 - You Need Me, I Don't Need You 7:34 - SBTV 9:15 - LA and Jamie Foxx 10:47 - No 5 Collaborations Project 11:34 - Signing Record Deal, Breaking Out with The A Team 12:07 - Follow Up Single and "+" 12:43 - Subsequent Releases and Lasting Success Music: Dawn of Change Music by Bensound.com License code: CDM0OLW0HBPXIDXC Artist: : Roman Senyk

Added 8 May 2026