Ed Sheeran made himself quite at home on the 'Today' show for Thursday, July 6. The ginger-haired singer had no trouble feeling comfortable, even away from the throng of 12,000 fans there were in Rockefeller Plaza to greet him for his set of smash songs. His fame notwithstanding, Ed Sheeran nonchalantly wandered onto to morning set of the show during Carson Daly's news break. Part of that breaking news was that the singer-songwriter's global hit, 'Shape of You', has taken the title of most streamed song ever in the UK. Sheeran took that milestone in stride and stayed long enough to look in on a story about a lovely golden retriever.
Ed took a few minutes to share his true feelings about Twitter, and still had more songs to sing.
No time for negativity
Even at just 26 years of age, Ed Sheeran has learned a valuable lesson in life. Every moment is precious, and that reality is even truer for the artist who has a constant demand for his time and attention. Some months ago, the singer-songwriter took a serious look at his phone, and didn't see many caring inquiries of "Hey, how are you?" but instead, a string of "Can you do this?" demands. From that moment, Ed Sheeran took a sharp turn in a new direction with social media, but it doesn't mean that he completely disconnected.
"I still post to Instagram, and it goes to Twitter," assures Sheeran.
He just doesn't devote time to reading Tweets about himself anymore. Fans may long for more cyber-presence from their favorite artist, but his reasoning is simple. "We always read the one negative one, and ignore the others. And I don't want to do that," insists the composer who is known for songs about the many kinds of love.
"It's foolish to do when there's so much love out in the world," Sheeran concludes.
Time to share the feeling
His 19 million Twitter followers, along with everyone else who could squeeze into a body space around the stage saw Ed Sheeran singing 'Galway Girl' which took a close vote in fan choice for his set list. The infectious blend of Irish jig melody and rap rhythms kept fans in rapt attention.
Most in the front rows were wearing blue shirts with the logo of Ed Sheeran's 'Divide' album, so he couldn't help but pay attention.
A spirited 'Castle on the Hill' came next, and several fans in wheelchairs along the front rails demonstrated that music frees the body from any impairment. The tender 'Supermarket Flowers' also found favor among the selections. The ballad of faith, a mother's love, and final parting speaks across generations were reflected in the glimpses of so many singing along.
The 12,000-strong crowd got swaying with 'Shape of You' in perfect timing with Ed Sheeran, showing how this sexy monster song literally grabs across genders. In between performances, Sheeran chatted, tossed picks, and gave the personal touch to his audience.
The final song for the morning was 'Thinking out Loud'. Like the theme of the already classic song reflects, love is ageless, and so is the range of sentiment and song from Ed Sheeran.
