Ed Sheeran, a British singer-songwriter, is known for being a kind guy: he donated his Grammy clothes to charity, appeared on Sesame Street as a guest star, and is in Taylor Swift’s friend zone. Sheeran’s career is also flourishing in terms of statistics.
In just six months, his debut album, +, sold one million copies in the United Kingdom, and his sophomore album, x, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Sheeran’s music, on the other hand, is safe and, let’s face it, a little dull. But it works for him, and what appears to be boredom may really be a unique sense of grounding.
“Sheeran understands where his bread is buttered, and that is in penning chick novels, not window-steamers,” the Observer put it so beautifully. He may not be the most original songwriter, but he’s charming, and he has one of the most unique perspectives of anyone who has achieved his degree of fame.
When a Twitter follower asked, “Do you have a guiding sentence by which you live your life?” Sheeran replied with a Bill Cosby quote: “The key to failure is to try and satisfy everyone.” Being a successful musician and retaining integrity in a society where everyone is a critic is no simple undertaking.
Sheeran’s response is straightforward: stay true to yourself, rather than trying to please everyone. Sheeran was just another struggling composer trying to make ends meet before he became a sensation.
