Already a hit in his native England, singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is set to see similar success in the United States. He gained momentum Stateside after being asked to be the supporting act for country/pop superstar Taylor Swift , and will soon headline his own arena tour.
Details of Sheeran’s solo tour are still emerging, but it’ll kick off in Seattle on August 22. From there, 15 dates have been announced, including stops in Boston and Atlanta, and more are forthcoming. Tickets go on sale April 25, so you still have time to look at your schedule, compare it with the dates Ed Sheeran has announced so far, and see if it’ll be feasible for you to attend any of his concerts .
Like most successful artists, Sheeran has a clear reason for deciding now is an ideal time to launch his first tour of North America. Namely, his sophomore album is scheduled for release on June 23. Hopefully, this tour can help Sheeran continue to impress fans who have followed him since his debut effort, and also encourage sales of this newest release.
The music industry has changed dramatically in recent years. A shift in favor of downloading music has often meant artists like Ed Sheeran feel it’s best to follow up an album release with a live tour to show they’re worthy of fan support.
A few months ago, Sheeran began making preparations for this arena tour before the dates were even announced. He’s built a following as a solo artist, but began occasionally playing with a full band, presumably to create a more arena-ready sound.
Ed Sheeran was a recent musical guest on Saturday Night Live , and during that appearance, he also played with a full band. Back in April, former tour partner Taylor Swift gave an opinion Sheeran would soon be known for a bigger sound at his live shows. It seems she was correct, since he’s now making the transition of being with a band.
Ed’s upcoming album is simply titled x, (pronounced “multiply”) and although the release date is still a couple of months away, the first single, Sing is being projected to perform well on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles chart. Apparently, Sheeran has already captured the attention of Billboard staff members, because he appeared on one of the covers of the music industry weekly earlier this month.
Going on a solo tour for the first time can certainly be nervewracking and it’s impossible to predict with certainty how things will go. However, thanks to the recent coverage in print and televised media, Ed Sheeran seems poised to lean on his musical talent and show North America just what he can do.
Photo Credit: UKFestivalGuides.com