- in Entertainment News by Mike
Ed Sheeran’s X Released
ED SHEERAN HERALDS NEW ALBUM “x”
WITH MAJOR TV PERFORMANCES AND SPECIAL EVENTS
AS LEAD SINGLE, “SING,” EXPLODES AT MULTI-FORMAT RADIO OUTLETS NATIONWIDE;
3X-GRAMMY® NOMINEE’S HIGH PROFILE TV APPEARANCES INCLUDE PERFORMANCES ON THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW (MAY 16) AND
THE VOICE SEASON FINALE (MAY 20);
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE ATLANTIC & 20TH CENTURY FOX’S
“THE FAULT IN OUR STARS LIVE STREAM EVENT @ YOUTUBE SPACE LA,”
SET TO STREAM TONIGHT AT 9PM ET;
MTV’S 9 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF ED SHEERAN PREMIERES JUNE 10TH;
NORTH AMERICAN ARENA TOUR KICKS OFF AUGUST 21st IN SEATTLE;
“x” ARRIVES ON JUNE 23RD
Atlantic recording artist Ed Sheeran is gearing up for a very busy summer as he announces a storm of activity surrounding the release of his much anticipated second album. “x” – pronounced “multiply” – arrives on June 23rd.
“x” is preceded by the exhilarating lead single “Sing,” which has rapidly rocketed into the top 10 at CHR/Pop radio outlets nationwide while also ascending the top 15 at Hot AC and on the overall Billboard “Hot 100.” Produced and co-written by multiple GRAMMY Award®-winner Pharrell Williams, “Sing” proved an out-of-the-box, multi-format smash upon its release earlier this spring, instantly achieving “Most Added” status its first week at Top 40/CHR, Adult, and Rhythmic/CHR outlets across the country. “Sing” is streaming now at Sheeran’s official YouTube page (http://youtu.be/scHS8YaYoRA) where it has fast amassed over to 7 million views and counting. The official “Sing” companion video is now in post-production, with a world premiere date to be announced shortly.
Sheeran will celebrate the imminent arrival of “x” with a string of high-profile TV appearances, including a special live performance on next week’s season finale of NBC’s Emmy Award-winning musical competition series “The Voice,” slated for May 20th at 8pm ET/PT (check local listings). The 3x-GRAMMY Award®-nominated artist is also slated to perform on the nationally syndicated Ellen DeGeneres Show (May 16th), NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (June 10th), and NBC’s TODAY Toyota Concert Series broadcast live from New York City’s Rockefeller Center on July 4th. The packed itinerary comes on the heels of a recent appearance on NBC’s Saturday Night Live which saw Sheeran electrifying millions of viewers with show-stopping renditions of both “Sing” and “x” highlight, “Don’t.”
Furthermore, MTV has set the debut of 9 Days and Nights of Ed Sheeran, a new 60-minute documentary that takes fans behind-the-scenes with exclusive, intimate access as the gifted singer/songwriter embarks on what is certain to be the most eventful chapter of his already extraordinary career to date. MTV’s 9 Days and Nights of Ed Sheeran premieres Tuesday, June 10th at 11pm ET/PT. For additional information, please log on towww.mtv.com/shows/nine-days-and-nights-of-ed-sheeran.
Meanwhile, Sheeran recently announced plans for his first-ever North American headlining arena tour, kicking off at Seattle’s WaMu Theater on August 21nd and then traveling through mid-September (see attached itinerary). Additional tour dates will be announced soon – for up-to-the-minute ticket information and tour updates, please visit www.edsheeran.com.
Additionally, Sheeran’s new “All Of The Stars” is among the many highlights found on Atlantic’s upcoming “THE FAULT IN OUR STARS – MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE.” The track’s companion video recently had its official debut – amassing over 1 million views in its first day – and is streaming now athttp://youtu.be/nkqVm5aiC28. “THE FAULT IN OUR STARS – MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE” arrives in stores and at all online retailers on May 19th, while 20th Century Fox’s The Fault In Our Stars – based on the #1 bestselling novel by John Green – opens in theaters nationwide on June 6th.
Tonight will see Sheeran presenting the debut live performance of “All Of The Stars” at Atlantic Records and 20thCentury Fox’s “The Fault In Our Stars Live Stream Event at YouTube Space LA,” an exclusive concert spectacular set to stream live at www.thefaultinourstarsmovie.com at 9pm ET/6pm PT. In addition to Sheeran, the event will see performances from Atlantic Records Group artists Charli XCX and Grouplove – both of whom are featured on “THE FAULT IN OUR STARS – MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE” – along with appearances from the film’s Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort and Nat Wolff, author John Green, and the world premiere of an array of additional content. “The Fault in Our Stars Live Stream Event Live from YouTube Space LA” will be hosted exclusively on Atlantic’s official YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/atlanticvideos) and atwww.thefaultinourstarsmovie.com.
“x” recently rocketed to the #1 spot on the iTunes Store’s overall “Top Albums” chart, mere hours after becoming available for pre-order at http://smarturl.it/x-itunesdlx). The follow-up to Sheeran’s breakthrough debut album “+,” “x” finds the British singer-songwriter collaborating with a stellar list of producers, including multiple GRAMMY Award®-winners Rick Rubin and Jeff Bhasker, multiple GRAMMY Award®-nominee Benny Blanco, Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid, and BRIT-Award nominee and “+” collaborator Jake Gosling.
Blending soulful vocals with organic folk introspection and irresistible hip-hop hooks, Ed Sheeran is a genuine global phenomenon. The 23-year old British singer/songwriter’s masterful debut album, “+,” entered the UK Albums Chart at #1 with the highest opening sales figures for a debut male solo artist ever and is now certified 6x-platinum. Fueled by international hit singles like “The A Team” and “Lego House,” “+” has enjoyed multi-platinum, platinum, and gold sales in nine countries around the world.
Here in the US, “The A-Team,” proved a blockbuster, earning 2x-platinum certification from the RIAA as well as a GRAMMY® Award nomination as “Song Of The Year.” Sheeran also made a record-breaking chart debut with the stateside release of “+,” which entered the SoundScan/Billboard 200 at #5, becoming the highest debut for a U.K. solo artist’s first full-length album, since 2009. Along with his three GRAMMY® nods – including the prestigious “Best New Artist” – Sheeran has accrued an array of distinguished international honors, spanning two BRIT Awards (“Best Male Artist,” “Best Breakthrough Artist”) and the 2012 Ivor Novello Award for “Best Song Musically and Lyrically.”
Long acclaimed as a captivating and creative live performer, Sheeran spent much of the past two years traversing North America on back-to-back sold-out headline tours, the latter of which including a stop at the renowned Radio City Music Hall which sold out in a matter of minutes. Following a main support role on Taylor Swift’s massively successful “RED Tour,” Sheeran returned to New York City for a trio of sold-out headline shows at the legendary Madison Square Garden to close out his incredible 2013.
Sheeran’s honest songwriting and incredible live show has also connected with millions through the small screen with countless high profile television appearances including the 55th Annual GRAMMY® Awards (performing “The A Team” accompanied by Sir Elton John), the closing ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, NBC’s The Voice (as one of Team Christina’s mentors) and Today (where he pulled in one of last summer’s largest audiences into NYC’s Rockefeller Plaza for the show’s annual outdoor concert series), and, most recently, among the star-studded lineup on CBS’ special “The Beatles: The Night That Changed America – A GRAMMY® Salute.”
For additional news and information, please see www.edsheeran.com, www.twitter.com/EdSheeran(@EdSheeran), www.facebook.com/EdSheeranMusic and www.atlanticrecords.com. For press materials, please see http://press.atlanticrecords.com/ed-sheeran.
ED SHEERAN
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2014
AUGUST
21 Seattle, WA WaMu Theater
23 Vancouver, BC Ambleside Live
29 Las Vegas, NV The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan
30 Las Vegas, NV The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan
31 Glendale, AZ Jobing.com Arena
SEPTEMBER
2 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
4 Cleveland, OH Wolstein Center
8 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
9 Boston, MA Xfinity Center
11 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena
12 Atlanta, GA The Arena at Gwinnett Center
13 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
15 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
16 Chicago, IL Allstate Arena
18 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
Additional Dates To Be Announced