Ed Sheeran has announced an 18-month hiatus from playing live concerts after finishing his mammoth ‘Divide’ world tour. During his last show yesterday at Chantry Park in Ipswich, England, our favourite redhead said that he would be taking a break from music after two and a half years of continuous touring and promotion of his previously released super hit album ‘Divide’.
Well, Ed has definitely earned this break. The ‘Divide’ world tour is officially the highest-grossing ever done by any artist in the history of music. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, this tour is on track to earn a record-breaking $750 million, making Ed Sheeran the highest-paid solo musician of 2018. After staying for two-and-a-half years on the road, 260 shows, entertaining the approximately 9 million people who have attended the “Divide” tour is an epic undertaking for anyone, especially an artist who is consistently playing sold-out arenas.
Ed Sheeran’s recent release, his fourth studio album titled, “No. 6 Collaborations Project,” also debuted at No. 1 in 12 countries. The 28-year-old pop global sensation, singer-songwriter wrapped up his 260th show with his song “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You.” Ed Sheeran shared the news during the final gig of his ‘Divide’ tour in his home town of Ipswich, reported by an American digital news agency. Ed said during his performance,
“As you may or may not know, I’ve been on the ‘Divide’ tour for over two years now and this is the last day of the whole thing. There is something very bittersweet about it. I love that you guys are here and we are ending it in Ipswich. This is my last gig for probably 18 months.”
He further added,
“I was told before I came on that now at the end of this tour I’ve played to nine million people around the world. It is the biggest tour ever,” Sheeran said. It’s been an emotional day for a lot of people backstage. It kind of feels like, in a weird way, that you’re breaking up with a girlfriend that you’ve been with for years. It sounds odd but it has been a long tour.”
The singer has mentioned that he is taking a little time away from touring and to spend quality time with his family and wife Cherry Seaborn, whom he secretly tied knot within last December (2018). Recently, it was also speculated that Ed will be dealing with legal battles over his music in the coming months. He has faced two plagiarism legal claims for the song ‘Shape of You’. Last week, musician Sam Chokri claimed that the blockbuster track ‘Shape Of You’ is plagiarized. He accused Ed of stealing the chorus from his 2015 song titled ‘Oh Why’. The case won’t be heard until next year, but Ed has been stopped from receiving further royalties for the song. Ed has countersued Sam Chokri for his accusations.
Well, we are surely going to miss our ‘Shape of You’ pop vocal king and his melancholy-pop fans definitely need him. Until then, we wish him good luck for his future endeavors and a great time off with his family.
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