Ed Sheeran - is there a point?

[IpswichEagle]

I heard Ed Sheeran a few years ago, performing around the local area and to be honest i thought he was average, but had a few catchy and quirky things about him. Personal taste and all that.

So i bought his first album and once again, thought - average.

In the past year or two though, it appears the industry has indeed been trying to polish him up like the proverbial turd, but with what appears to be mythbusting success. He has immersed himself in the world of pop. He has done a song with Talyor bloody Swift. I'm not sure you can get more pop in fact.

Now i don't really know what to think of this. Has he instigated this himself? Seen the $$$ to be made by 'selling out'. Did he switch to a pop agent? Was he really ever 'edgy', 'underground' or 'independent' (in the indie sense) at all? Sure, he is ginger which earns him instant dark-horse status. And he holds a small guitar. And he has been known to rap... while holding a small guitar at the same time! But take his appearance and those bits away and is he any different to Harry Styles? Or Justin Timberlake?

Gallagher snr had a pop at him the other day. Kind of summed it up i guess, , however he's not exactly Mr 100% Rock rebel these days after making the album Be Here Now. He also clearly isn't down with the kids in his 40s. Does he have a point though? Is Sheeran f****** s***? Or is he a genuine bright english talent, worthy of admiration?

So what do you make of Sheeran? Amazing Auburn Artist or Generally Gash Ginger?

[weltklasse]

My wife and kids love him. i find him shit. plus he likes spotify's royalties model which makes me think he is a bit odious too now he has made it.

[Santos-er]

My music taste is infamously crap. I like his stuff, so if you think he's rubbish you're probably right.

[BBK]

It's funny that an EP which was a collab with multiple Grime artists made him mainstream and got him signed and now he makes kids music.

[Son of Ron]

Ah I see, he's another one who because he has mass appeal is all of a sudden a little shit to the music afficienados

[Tomo]

I’m a self-confessed music snob. However, I won’t deny my love for pop music (in particular Taylor Swift) and won’t begrudge a decent pop act but he doesn’t offer anything to me.
I didn’t mind Ed Sheeran when he came out and found him inoffensive and I won’t begrudge the fact that he worked very hard to start with to get where he is. However he’s now in a position where he’ll be paid a lot of money to write catchy songs aimed at a certain demographic, which he seemingly does well.
However, now the songs are very mediocre. He may well have written them himself but they all sound like poor versions of other peoples songs. They’re overplayed, and sitting next to the Kiss 100 team mean I hear a lot more of him than I’d like too, but that’s not his fault so fair play to him.

He doesn’t seem that dislikeable as a person but his music his so average now it hurts.

[jason7]

Cant wait to see him at Wembley in July,daughters present so she has to go with adult.i got the short straw.

[tasty_snacks]

Yes, there is a very valid point to ES. Deals handsomely with insomnia, with tracks to spare.

It's not a case of, "ooooh, now he's big he's a bit shit." He's always been a bit shit, which is why he's big. IMO.

[hilairehair]

"And if your dvd ever breaks today
You shoulda got a vcr because I've never own a blue ray, true say"


Wow. Just, wow.

[ChaceTheAce]

Originally Posted by jason7

Cant wait to see him at Wembley in July,daughters present so she has to go with adult.i got the short straw.

I'm also seeing him in July. Can't wait!

[Gooders]

Bores me to tears.

Doubt his music is aimed at me though, to be fair.

[PauLo]

He's beige. He's vanilla. He's offensively inoffensive.

He's the musical equivalent of walking towards someone and you both moving in the same direction to avoid each other.

[Tomo]

Originally Posted by Gooders

Bores me to tears.

Doubt his music is aimed at me though, to be fair.

This, summarised a lot better than me after 5 beers.

he is what he is but I won't be offended by him. There are far worse artists out there for my ire to be aimed at.

[smileysmith]

Filed under: Don't give a ****.

[Jono14]

I liked him when he was doing his grime stuff, he's moved away from that a lot now which is a bit of a shame but he's OK.

[deanchilds]

Ed is a good friend of mine so I cant really get involved with out sounding biased.

He has worked very hard to get where he is today. The money hasnt changed him and never will.

Little fact for you, my names in the first album thank you list.

I was the idea behind Nandos Skank with Example & Ed.

He writes all his own stuff and if your on his back beacuse of Noel Gallager then shame on you.

[hilairehair]

He might be awful and everything but this picture is brilliant...

[Windsor_Eagle]

As with any singer / artist, you take them for what they are. In fairness to him he kind of brought that sing/rap over an acoustic guitar genre to the masses which loads of people have tried to copy since.

A half decent voice, can play the guitar a bit, writes songs that radio stations like to play and that teenagers / tweenagers will enjoy and so he's propelled into the mainstream.

Personally I think a couple of his album tracks have been alright and preferred them to the stuff that has charted but can agree that personally, as a whole package, he is a bit vanilla. In an age of some ******* awful mainstream music though, that isn't necessarily an insult.

[deanchilds]

Originally Posted by BBK

It's funny that an EP which was a collab with multiple Grime artists made him mainstream and got him signed and now he makes kids music.

"Kids music" is what he has always made. The Colab EP knocked Rihanna off Itunes No1 Album so then all the labels who turned him down before wanted to sign him. He told them to get lost.

Whos laughing now?

[Tomo]

Originally Posted by deanchilds

"Kids music" is what he has always made. The Colab EP knocked Rihanna off Itunes No1 Album so then all the labels who turned him down before wanted to sign him. He told them to get lost.

Whos laughing now?

Deanchilds Top 3 Mates:
1) Ed Sheeran
2) Clinton Morrison
3) Lily Allen