Top 10 Unknown Facts about Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. He was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk.

The first two singles from the album 'Divide', "Shape of You" and "Castle on the Hill", were released in January 2017 and broke records in a number of countries, including the UK, Australia and Germany, by debuting in the top two positions of the charts. He also became the first artist to have two songs debut in the US top 10 in the same week. Sheeran appeared on Debrett's 2017 list of the most influential people in the UK.

Here Comes the Top 10 Unknown Facts of Ed Sheeran

1. In 2009, he played in more than 300 live shows and gigs while trying to get noticed. When Ed was just 18, he played a show almost every single day of the year in order to try to build his career from the ground up. "I gigged pretty much every day," he told the Daily Mail in 2012 about his dedication. "My dad cut this article out about James Morrison. He said, 'Look, this dude did 200 gigs in a year. He got the experience and then he got signed.' My dad's attitude is to take someone you admire and not so much copy them as take their work ethic and do it twice as much."


2. He names all of his guitars. The singer revealed that he names his guitars after people in his working crew. Past guitars have been named Chris, Trev, James I, and James II.


3. He sees his songs in color. Being the true artist that he is, Ed's songs aren't just lyrics to him. "All my songs have colors," he's said. "'You Need Me I Don't Need You' for example is aubergine. It's a sad song about struggling."


4. He gave Harry Styles a tattoo. Ed actually tattooed a padlock on the One Direction singer's wrist. Harry later revealed that he's come to regret the ink, saying, "I regret this one on my wrist here [pointing to the padlock]. I mean, these are just crap. There are some that my friends have done and some that are just awful."


5. Ed estimates that he has between 60 and 100 tattoos himself. His collection of ink includes three boxing gloves, a shamrock filled in with the Irish flag, a giant family tree, a teacup, the Heinz Tomato Ketchup logo, a Canadian maple leaf, and "Red" after Taylor Swift's album.

6. He also has one in honor of his favorite TV show, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Ed has the word "Prince" tattooed in green letters on his bicep. When asked about the meaning behind it, Ed said, "I played in Philadelphia and I was on tour with my friends, the Rizzle Kicks, who were my opening act. And I got 'Prince,' Jordan got 'Fresh' on his leg, and Harley got on his arm 'on the playground where I spent most of my days.'"


7. He's relatable when it comes to food. During a 2012 radio interview, Ed got hilariously honest about his outlook on having a chiseled body, saying, "I have never had a six-pack and will never have a six-pack, so I might as well stuff my face." Same, Ed. Same.


8. Taylor Swift actually contacted him first. We've all come to know and love Ed and Taylor's close friendship, and it turns out that the "Style" singer was the one to make the first move. After one of her managers saw him performing at a show in Nashville back in the day, Taylor contacted him because she instantly fell in love with his music. "['Lego House'] just cut through everything else," Taylor told Rolling Stone.


9. He has a refreshing outlook on fame. Ed, who has given fans glimpses of his normal and happy childhood through his music videos, still seems to be that same down-to-earth kid from the English countryside. "I've always said that I wanna be known as the nicest and hardest working guy in the industry, so if I could be known as that that would be brilliant," he said in 2012.


10. He can speak German and Greek. Not a lot, but it's still something!