Ed Sheeran Announces 2015 North American Tour!

Atlantic recording artist Ed Sheeran has announced details for his 2015 North American headlining tour. The cross country trek produced and promoted by AEG Live & The Messina Group (TMG) will kick off at Austin's Frank Erwin Center on May 6th and includes stops at New York City's Forest Hills Stadium and the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles (see below itinerary). The dates are part of Sheeran's highly successful worldwide tour which culminates with three sold out nights at London's Wembley Stadium. Pre-sale tickets will be available for select dates starting on February 16, followed by general public on-sale tickets starting on Feb 20. Additionally, Sheeran will be among the top-billed performers at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (May 2nd) and Rock in Rio USA in Las Vegas (May 15th). For more ticket information and tour updates, please visit www.edsheeran.com.

The tour announcement comes on the heels of the acclaimed singer-songwriter's triumphant night at the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards, where Sheeran was nominated for 3 awards, including the prestigious "Album of the Year" for his RIAA platinum-certified album "x" (pronounced multiply). Sheeran's other nominations came in the categories for "Best Pop Vocal Album" and "Best Song Written For Visual Media" for his song "I See Fire" from the feature film The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Sheeran also received one of the biggest ovations of the night for his performance of his RIAA-certified Platinum single "Thinking Out Loud," where he was joined by GRAMMY winners Herbie Hancock, John Mayer, and Questlove. Sheeran returned to the stage to perform with the legendary Jeff Lynne's ELO. Both "x" and "Thinking Out Loud" shot to #1 on iTunes immediately following his appearance.

Already proving to be one of the biggest songs of the year, Sheeran's latest single "Thinking Out Loud" has skyrocketed to #1 on the Hot AC radio chart and #2 at Top 40. Likewise, "Thinking Out Loud" stands tall at #2 on Billboard Hot 100, earning the acclaimed singer-songwriter the highest charting U.S. single of his career so far. "Thinking Out Loud" is the third single from "x" following back-to-back RIAA-certified Platinum singles "Sing" and "Don't." Already a global smash, "Thinking Out Loud" has already gone to #1 in 9 countries around the world, including his native United Kingdom. Sheeran debuted the single in the U.S. with high profile performances of the song on CBS' "Victoria's Secret Fashion Show" and the season finale of NBC's "The Voice" in December. The single's beautifully-shot companion music video (http://youtu.be/lp-EO5I60KA) directed by longtime collaborator Emil Nava has already amassed over 215 million views and features Sheeran ballroom dancing, a skill he learned through intensive, five-hour training sessions over the course of ten days during the North American leg of his worldwide arena tour.

Next up, Sheeran is set to appear on the syndicated "Ellen DeGeneres Show" today for a post-GRAMMY performance of "Thinking Out Loud." The acclaimed artist is also among the star-studded lineup performing on CBS' "Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life - An All-Star GRAMMY Salute" which airs on February 16. Sheeran will return to London to perform at this year's BRIT Awards, where he's nominated for 4 awards, including Male Solo Artist, Single, and Album Of The Year.

Blending soulful vocals with organic folk introspection and irresistible hip-hop hooks, Ed Sheeran is a genuine global phenomenon. The 23-year-old British singer-songwriter's acclaimed second full length album "x" (pronounced multiply) finds the 6x-GRAMMY nominee collaborating with a stellar list of producers, including multiple GRAMMY Award-winners Pharrell Williams, Rick Rubin and Jeff Bhasker, multiple GRAMMY Award-nominee Benny Blanco, Snow Patrol's Johnny McDaid, and BRIT-Award nominee and longtime collaborator Jake Gosling. The album has earned Sheeran a remarkable amount of rapturous press attention, including cover stories in Billboard and Parade, and the New York Times' Sunday Arts & Leisure section as well as major feature profiles in Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and Time. Sheeran launched "x" with a breakout performance on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," followed by other high profile national television appearances including "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," the famed outdoor stage on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", and NBC's "The Voice" season finale, "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" and Toyota Summer Concert Series in Rockefeller Plaza on "Today." Moreover, "x" has drawn critical applause from all corners, with USA Today hailing it in a four-and-a-half-starred rave as "the rare album that satisfies expectations while simultaneously raising them... As good as Sheeran was before, he's even better now." "Mr. Sheeran is a gifted singer with a tender tone and a naturalistic way with storytelling," declared the New York Times, adding, "Though he may well be the most prominent folk-minded singer in contemporary pop, he's an open-eared experimenter at core, and saddled with none of the modesty, false or otherwise, that typically go with the folkie role." "(Sheeran) is a polyglot," noted Time, "raised on folk, R&B, hip-hop and rock in equal measure and comfortable incorporating each of those genres into his compositions."

Sheeran's 2012 breakthrough debut album, "+," entered the UK Albums Chart at #1 with the highest opening sales figures for a debut male solo artist ever and is now certified 6x-platinum. Fueled by international hit singles like "The A Team" and "Lego House," "+" has enjoyed multi-platinum, platinum, and gold sales in nine countries around the world. Here in the US, "The A Team" proved a blockbuster, earning 2x-platinum certification from the RIAA as well as a GRAMMY Award nomination as "Song Of The Year." Sheeran also made a record-breaking chart debut with the stateside release of "+," which entered the SoundScan/Billboard 200 at #5, becoming the highest debut for a U.K. solo artist's first full-length album, since 2009. Along with his three GRAMMY nods including the prestigious "Best New Artist" Sheeran has accrued an array of distinguished international honors, spanning two BRIT Awards ("Best Male Artist," "Best Breakthrough Artist") and the 2012 Ivor Novello Award for "Best Song Musically and Lyrically."

Long acclaimed as a captivating and creative live performer, Sheeran spent much of the past two years traversing North America on back-to-back sold-out headline tours, the latter of which including a stop at the renowned Radio City Music Hall that sold out in a matter of minutes. Following a main support role on Taylor Swift's massively successful "RED Tour," Sheeran returned to New York City for a trio of sold-out headline shows at the legendary Madison Square Garden to close out his incredible 2013.

Sheeran's honest songwriting and incredible live show has also connected with millions through the small screen with countless high profile television appearances including the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards (performing "The A Team" accompanied by Sir Elton John), the closing ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, and as the youngest performer among the star-studded lineup on CBS' special "The Beatles: The Night That Changed America - A GRAMMY Salute."

ED SHEERAN
Headlining Tour Dates - 2015
*denotes festival date

MAY
02	New Orleans, LA	New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival*
06	Austin, TX	Frank Erwin Center
07	Dallas, TX	Verizon Theatre at Grande Prairie
09	Tulsa, OK	BOK Center
10	St. Louis, MO	Chaifetz Arena
12	Pittsburgh, PA	CONSOL Energy Center
13	Albany, NY	Times Union Center
15	Las Vegas, NV	Rock in Rio USA*
19	Salt Lake City, UT	EnergySolutions Arena
23	Uncasville, CT	Mohegan Sun Arena
24	Bangor, ME	Darling's Waterfront Pavilion
26	Philadelphia, PA	the Mann
28	Forest Hills, NY	Forest Hills Stadium
29	Forest Hills, NY	Forest Hills Stadium
JUNE
02	Montreal, QC	Bell Centre
03	Ottawa, ON	Canadian Tire Centre
05	London, ON	Budweiser Gardens
06	Toronto, ON	Air Canada Centre
07	Canandaigua, NY	CMAC
09	Des Moines, IA	Wells Fargo Arena
10	Sioux Falls, SD	Denny Sanford PREMIER Center
12	Winnipeg, MB	MTS Centre
13	Regina, SK	Brandt Centre
14	Edmonton, AB	Rexall Place
16	Saskatoon, SK	SaskTel Centre
17	Calgary, AB	Scotiabank Saddledome
19	Vancouver, BC	Rogers Arena
20	Portland, OR	Moda Center
23	San Diego, CA	Valley View Casino Center
24	Los Angeles, CA	Hollywood Bowl
26	San Francisco, CA	Greek Theater at Berkeley
JUNE
29	Denver, CO	Red Rocks Amphitheatre
JULY
02	Indianapolis, IN	Klipsch Amphitheater
03	Milwaukee, WI	Summerfest

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