ED SHEERAN

Basically Every Popular Musician Performed On ‘The Voice’ Season Finale, Like Kid Cudi, Ed Sheeran, And Coldplay

by
Kid Cudi Ariana Grande The Voice Finale 2021
Getty Image

Usually, your best bet to see a bunch of well-known artists performing on TV in rapid succession is to catch an awards show like the Grammys. Well, the next Grammy ceremony is set for late January, but ahead of then, last night offered a different kind of opportunity to watch a ton of musical firepower taking the stage on the same broadcast: The Voice aired the live finale episode of its 21st season last night and pretty much every musician you’ve ever heard of took the stage.

Aside from the show’s contestants, artists who performed included Coldplay and BTS; Walker Hayes; Tori Kelly, Keke Palmer, and some contestants; Ed Sheeran; Jennifer Lopez and Lukas Nelson; Carrie Underwood and John Legend; Alicia Keys; Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi; Kelly Clarkson; Blake Shelton; and John Legend.

Of particular note was Kid Cudi and Ariana Grande giving their Don’t Look Up single “Just Look Up” its live debut. Meanwhile, Coldplay opened the show with “My Universe,” and while BTS couldn’t be there in person, they did show up on stage as holograms. Later, Ed Sheeran, who was a Mega Mentor on the show this season, stopped by to play “Shivers.”

By the way, Ohio sibling trio Girl Named Tom ended up winning the season, making them the first group to do so.

Check out the other performances from The Voice finale below.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Music World Reacts To The 2022 Grammys Nominations

by
Lil Nas X 2021
Getty Image

Today, the music world is focused on the list of nominees for The 64th Annual Grammy Awards, which was unveiled this morning. There’s a lot going on with this year’s list: Jon Batiste leads the pack with 11 total nominations, which is actually tied for the second-most in a single year ever. Tony Bennett became the oldest artist ever nominated for Album Of The Year. Barack Obama and Dave Chappelle are competing in the same category.

Across all categories, a lot of folks got nominated, and naturally, a lot of them have taken to social media to share their reactions to the news.

Batiste was pretty thrilled with his feat, writing, “WOW!! Thank you God!! I love EVERYBODY! I’m so grateful to my collaborators and to my ancestors [crying emojis] 11!”

Lil Nas X took a break from joking on Twitter to tweet, “don’t have to win a single award, truly thankful for all the insight this year has brought me. and thankful for the journey. love u guys.”

Japanese Breakfast, who was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album, was floored, as she wrote simply, “WTF!!!!!!!!!”

Saweetie was also moved, as she tweeted, “I’m speechless I wish I had the words to express how I feel but I’m just so grateful!!! Being acknowledged for all the hard work me & my team have been doing feels AMAZINNNNNG thank you #TeamIcy for stickin with me through thick and thin y’all some real ride or dies IKDR!!”

Check out some more reactions below.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

When Ed Sheeran Makes Songs, He Asks Himself, ‘What Would Rihanna Do?’

by
Ed Sheeran Rihanna 2017
Getty Image

Ed Sheeran has earned himself a lot of clout over the course of his career, as evidenced by the list of folks he’s worked with. While a lot of aspiring artists look up to him for inspiration, his musical role model is Rihanna, as he revealed on The Breakfast Club recently.

In fact, he says that when he’s in the studio, he thinks about what Rihanna would do. He said, “Rihanna is always the benchmark. Rihanna is always… when I go in, that’s how ‘Shape Of You’ was created, ‘Love Yourself’ with Justin Bieber was created. She’s got such great taste in songs that… you can’t say what Rihanna’s style is. It’s just good tunes. So when you go in the studio to create a song, always we go, ‘What would Rihanna do?’ So she’s be somebody I’d always love to work with and write with or for. The fact that she can do ‘Work’ and then she just does ‘FourFiveSeconds,’ and they’re both totally different but both f*cking incredible tunes.”

He also noted they hoped to link up on his No. 6 Collaborations Project album, but they didn’t have “the right tune.” He explained why that didn’t discourage him, saying, “I submitted songs to Beyoncé before and she hadn’t picked any, but then I did ‘Perfect’ and she wanted to sing on it. So I know people rate me, but sometimes the songs aren’t the right songs.”

Ed Sheeran’s ‘=’ Is Now His Fifth Consecutive No. 1 Album

by
ed-sheeran-tf.jpg
Getty Image

Ed Sheeran closed out October with the release of his fifth album =, which continued his streak of math-themed titles, which dates back to his debut album +. The arrival of = concluded was much awaited, despite it only being two years since he last released 2019’s No. 6 Collaborations Project. It seems like the wait for = paid off for him as it just became his fifth No. 1 album.

= debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart dated November 13 thanks to 118,000 album units sold in its first week. This number is comprised of 68,000 pure album sales, which also makes it the top-selling album of the week. Streaming equivalent album units account for 46,500 units. = gives Sheeran his fifth consecutive No. 1 album as No. 6 Collaborations Project (2019), ÷ (2017), x (2014), and + (2011) each topped the chart.

This latest feat comes after Sheeran stopped by Saturday Night Live to perform “Shivers” and “Overpass Graffiti.” His performance on the show was momentarily in jeopardy as he tested positive for coronavirus a week before he was set to hit the stage. But thankfully, things worked out in everyone’s favor.

Elsewhere on the charts, Megan Thee Stallion earns her fourth top-10 release after Something For Thee Hotties checked in at No. 5.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

‘SNL’ Emulates Post Malone, Miley Cyrus, And More With Help From Ed Sheeran In Their ‘Dionne Warwick Talk Show’ Sketch

by

Ed Sheeran stopped by Saturday Night Live for a pair of performances on the late-night show, to celebrate the release of his fourth album =. After he tested positive for coronavirus, many worried that would be unable to perform. Luckily, that was not the case, as he delivered performances of “Shivers” and “Overpass Graffiti.” He also appeared in a sketch for SNL’s edition of The Dionne Warwick Talk Show, with Ego Nwodim as the legendary singer.

The sketch began with Chloe Fineman, who played Miley Cyrus, sitting across from Nwodim. Kieran Culkin, who appeared as Jason Mraz and hosted the episode, and Pete Davidson, who appeared as Post Malone, also sat down on the talk show. But Nwodim’s Warwick seemed to be bored by the guests and said, “I’m sick and tired of interviewing people who aren’t icons.” She then welcomed the real Dionne Warwick onto the show.

“Let me ask you something,” Nwodim says after Warwick takes a seat. “Dionne, why are you perfect?” The 80-year-old singer replied, “My darling, I’m not perfect. I’m just very, very good.” The duo then sang a duet of Warwick’s 1966 track “What The World Needs Now Is Love.”

Warwick thanked SNL for inviting her to the show afterward.

“I had fun at @nbcsnl,” she tweeted. “Thank you to @eggy_boom (ME [laughing emoji]), @Punkiejohnson (as @BrittaniWarrick), and to the writers, cast, and crew. I had a wonderful time with you all.”

You can watch the sketch in the video above.

Eminem And Ed Sheeran Forged A Pen Pal Relationship Over Their Shared Collecting Hobby

by
eminem-getty-full.jpg
Getty Image

Ed Sheeran and Eminem are familiar collaborators, as they’ve worked together on songs like “River,” “Those Kinda Nights,” and “Remember The Name.” Their relationship extends beyond their work together, though. The first time they met in the studio, they talked more about video games and movies than they did music. It turns out the two have a sort of pen pal relationship now, too, thanks to their mutual love of collecting cassette tapes.

On a recent episode of Later… With Jools Holland, Sheeran noted (via HipHopDX):

“I collect cassettes and I’ve got Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder, and they are quite difficult to find. The only person I know who collects the same is Eminem. He collects cassettes — that’s his thing. He loves collecting. He is avid at going to find them. We have started having this… it’s like a very cool pen pal thing. I got a message the other day about an LL Cool J cassette. He said, ‘This is the cassette which made me want to start rapping.’ I sent him Van Morrison and I will send him David Gray’s White Ladder next.”

Meanwhile, Ed Sheeran is fresh off receiving a positive COVID-19 test, meaning that his upcoming Saturday Night Live performance may be a no-go.

Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The post Eminem And Ed Sheeran Forged A Pen Pal Relationship Over Their Shared Collecting Hobby appeared first on UPROXX.

Ed Sheeran Helps Celebrate The New NFL Season With A Performance Of ‘Shivers’

by
Getty Image

A fairly large group of sports fans all over the world are rejoicing as the NFL made its official return on Thursday night. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the league’s reigning Super Bowl champions, welcomed the Dallas Cowboys to their home stadium to officially start the new season. Prior to kickoff, however, fans at home and outside of Tampa Bay’s Raymond James Stadium were greeted by a performance from Ed Sheeran. The singer took the stage to perform his latest single, “Shivers” for fans that gathered at the venue.

The performance came hours after Sheeran released the track to his supporters. “Shivers” stands as the third single from his upcoming album, joining “Visiting Hours” and “Bad Habits” as records that gave fans a taste of what’s to come with the new album. After announcing “=” last month, Sheeran spoke about the album and what it means to him.

“= (Equals) is a really personal record and one that means a lot to me,” he said. “My life changed greatly over the past few years — I got married, became a father, experienced loss, and I reflect on these topics over the course of the album. I see it as my coming-of-age record, and I can’t wait to share this next chapter with you.”

You can watch Sheeran perform “Shivers” in the video above.

= is out 10/29 via Asylum/Atlantic. Pre-order it here.

Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The NFL Is Releasing A Bunch Of Ed Sheeran Merch Ahead Of Its Season Opener

by
Getty Image

The 2021-22 NFL season officially kicks off on Thursday evening. The defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers will get the chance to celebrate their title by playing hosts to the first game of the year. On the other side of the field will be the Dallas Cowboys, which had a rough season last year but, with Dak Prescott returning from injury and a division that might be the weakest in the league, there are reasons to believe Dallas will be able to make its way back to the playoffs.

Because this is the NFL we’re talking about here, the league can’t just make the first game of the season a football game that is on our televisions. It has to make this an all-out event, including a pregame concert by Ed Sheeran. You have possibly seen this graphic by now…

Pretty good! Well it turns out the NFL has come down with a pretty bad case of Sheeranmania, because the league has decided to make a bunch of gear that has his name on it to celebrate his pregame performance.

Unfortunately, it appears there has never been a player with the last name Sheeran in the history of the league, which ruins any and all hopes I had with ending this post with a joke saying this gear paid reference to some random player from the 1930s.

Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Ed Sheeran’s First Time In The Studio With Eminem Was More About Video Games And Movies Than Music

by
Getty Image

Ed Sheeran and Eminem have established a working relationship over the past few years, as Sheeran and Eminem have joined forces on songs like “River,” “Those Kinda Nights,” and “Remember The Name,” the latter of which also featured 50 Cent. Sheeran recently looked back on his first time in the studio with Eminem, which didn’t actually yield any music.

During a recent Apple Music interview (as NME notes), Sheeran said:

“[The studio] was in Detroit and I was playing a gig in Detroit. And yeah, I arrived. He’s got loads of games consoles there. He loves games. I actually bought him a Nintendo 64 with [GoldenEye 007] on it as a gift. I just stepped in there. Actually, first time we met, we didn’t make music. I hung out there for about four hours, and we just spoke Marvel and Avengers for about four hours. And then the next time I went back, we made a tune. The first tune we made, I was in Mexico and his producer flew to Mexico, and I did the hook there and stuff.”

Meanwhile, Sheeran recently reminisced about meeting up with 50 Cent at a concert after they had already collaborated, saying, “50 will probably disagree with this: I don’t think 50 had a f*cking clue who I was. I think afterwards he was like, ‘Oh, the ‘Shape Of You’ guy!’”

Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Ed Sheeran Doesn’t Think 50 Cent Knew Who He Was Even After They Collaborated

by
Getty Image

During a guest spot on the latest episode of “Hot Ones,” a very red-faced Ed Sheeran recounted a funny story about his collaboration with Eminem and 50 Cent on 2019’s “Remember The Name.” Apparently — and Sheeran says the rapper may refute this if asked — Sheeran was pretty sure that 50 Cent didn’t know who Sheeran was, even after they had worked together.

“If you were to go into my school and go, at the height of Shady Records, at the height of Aftermath [Entertainment], and go, ‘Which one of these kids is gonna do a song with Eminem and 50 Cent?’ No one would’ve guessed me,” joked Sheeran between bites of wings doused in hot sauce. “50 will probably disagree with this,” he continued, referencing the time they were both present at Wembley Stadium in the UK, “[but] I don’t think 50 had a f*cking clue who I was. I think afterwards he was like, ‘Oh, the ‘Shape Of You’ guy!’”

“Remember The Name” was part of the singer-songwriter’s fourth studio album, No.6 Collaborations Project, which also featured collaborations with Justin Bieber, Camila Cabello, Travis Scott, Stormzy, Bruno Mars, Young Thug, and more. At the time of release, Sheeran joked with BBC Radio One about the song’s rapped line “I was born a misfit / Grew up 10 miles from the town of Ipswich” and how it was unlikely that Eminem “would know where Ipswitch is.”

Watch Sheeran’s “Hot Ones” interview in full above, and listen to him tell the 50 Cent story at 11:55 into the video.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.