Edward Christopher Sheeran (born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs at around age eleven. In early 2011, he independently released the extended play "No. 5 Collaborations Project" and later that year signed with Asylum Records. Sheeran's debut studio album, "+" ("Plus"), was released in September 2011 and reached number one on the UK Albums Chart. It featured his first hit single, "The A Team". In 2012, he won Brit Awards for Best British Male Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act. His second album, "×" ("Multiply"), was released in June 2014 and topped charts worldwide. It was the second-best-selling album globally in 2015 and won the Brit Award for Album of the Year, while Sheeran received the Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of the Year. The single "Thinking Out Loud" from the album won the 2016 Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance. Sheeran's third album, "÷" ("Divide"), was released in March 2017 and became the best-selling album worldwide that year. Singles "Shape of You" and "Castle on the Hill" debuted in the top two chart positions in multiple countries, and Sheeran became the first artist to debut two songs in the US top 10 in the same week. "Perfect" reached number one in the US, UK, and Australia, becoming the UK Christmas number one in 2017. He was named the Global Recording Artist of the Year for 2017. His fourth album, "No.6 Collaborations Project" (2019), was a collaborative record that debuted at number one in most major markets and included UK number-one singles "I Don't Care", "Beautiful People", and "Take Me Back to London". His fifth album, "=" ("Equals"), was released in 2021, followed by "−" ("Subtract") in May 2023, and "Autumn Variations" in September 2023 under his own label, Gingerbread Man Records. His eighth studio album, "Play", was released on 12 September 2025. Sheeran has sold over 200 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists. He has 119 million RIAA-certified units in the US, and two of his albums rank among the best-selling in UK chart history. In December 2019, he was named the Official Charts Company’s artist of the decade for combined UK album and single success in the 2010s. As of July 2024, he is the third most-followed artist on Spotify. Several of his tours rank among the most-attended globally, with the "÷ Tour" becoming the highest-grossing tour of all time as of August 2019. An alumnus of the National Youth Theatre, Sheeran has appeared in the 2019 film "Yesterday" as himself. In 2025, Time magazine listed him among the 100 most influential people in the world. Studio albums + (2011) × (2014) ÷ (2017) No.6 Collaborations Project (2019) = (2021) − (2023) Autumn Variations (2023) Play (2025)