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Posted by: shadow2009 4th January 2020, 02:09 PM

Most artists tend to have a slump in their chart success at some point but he's getting more success nowadays than he did with his debut! He's just had what, four #1's from the same album?

I personally don't listen to any of his music and find his whole 'appeal' so contrived and annoying (singing about 'take me back to London' and acting like he grew up in the streets when he did nothing of the sort, his constant 'relatable' lyrics about being an outsider and not being able to connect with famous or rich people etc) and am annoyed he racks up hits so effortlessly while there's other artists with much more talent and likeability than him struggling but he must have SOMETHING about him?

How has he done it? Is he ever going to have a flop?

Posted by: Slick 4th January 2020, 02:18 PM

I'd like to understand this too because if we understand it, we can work together to STOP IT #riseup

Posted by: Dobbo 4th January 2020, 02:19 PM

Collaborating with the right ppl, always gets on board with the right breakthrus.

Posted by: vidcapper 4th January 2020, 02:21 PM

It could be argued that his current album *is* slumping, at least compared to the 3 previous...

Posted by: awardinary 4th January 2020, 02:25 PM

He’s managed to remain the most relevant singer for almost a decade now ever since he brought us The A Team.

I think 2020 will in fact be a quiet year for him.

Posted by: Marty 4th January 2020, 04:00 PM

Bottom line is Fantastic song writing.

Posted by: SKOB 4th January 2020, 04:16 PM

He's been too big to fail, most songs of the recent project wouldn't perhaps been hits for anyone else.

Posted by: T Boy 4th January 2020, 04:20 PM

He’s safe and extremely clever. He knows exactly what image and sound people want and expect from him.

I’ve never really got the appeal, there are so many other solo singer songwriters out there who I feel do it better but don’t get the success.

Posted by: Popchartfreak 4th January 2020, 04:20 PM

Being an all-round nice bloke, making contacts with other high-profile stars, collabs, and a willingness to step out of his comfort zone without getting big-headed about anything and not take himself too seriously. And the odd occasional pop banger.

I mean, I too find his endless dirgey ballads far too OTT for me, but I still like him as a person.

Posted by: Slick 4th January 2020, 04:22 PM

I actually think the nice guy routine is very fake. You're right that it's one of the reasons people like his music, but I think he's actually quite arrogant and takes himself very seriously. The smart thing is marketing himself as though he isn't.

Posted by: JosephCarey 4th January 2020, 04:25 PM

Really? I don't agree with this at all. Of course his status helps but songs like I Don't Care, Beautiful People and South of the Border really would've been hits by anybody else. I'm not sure anybody else would've made a song like Take Me Back to London in the first place, it's got Ed written all over it and that's why he sells it well.

What helps Ed is that he comes across as pretty down to earth. He's instantly likeable to the general public, and very relatable. He's a very good songwriter too, a song like Thinking Out Loud was destined to be a classic because it has such a timeless feel to it. He's also smart and knows how to play the music industry. He's on top of trends, knows who to work with, and what to do to ensure he gets the best platforms possible for his music. He's business minded.

The current era's been helped by the big names he's worked with, too. Look at the big hits of the era: they've been collaborations with Justin Bieber, Khalid, Stormzy, Camila, Cardi, and even Chance the Rapper isn't a nobody. The combined star power is only keeping interest high, even if the project as a whole probably won't appeal to every single listener (it feels more designed for people to cherry pick their faves cause it's not remotely cohesive).

Honestly I think his appeal is very easy to see, and you don't have to like him to get why so many other people do!

Posted by: SKOB 4th January 2020, 04:26 PM

He might not take himself too seriously but he's obsessed with success. He bragged on IG that No.6 went #1 around the world "without any promotion" and being "outside his usual wheelhouse".

What's not promotion in the biggest visibility on streaming services and several music videos and radio deals and remixes and stuff

Posted by: AcerBen 4th January 2020, 04:33 PM

Whilst is it astonishing that he can do a cheesy video like I Don't Care and a slushy Westlife-style ballad like Perfect yet still maintain his credibility, I think really it boils down to the fact the songs are bloody good. He's just very talented, whether you like him or not, sorry!

Posted by: Jordan Lee 4th January 2020, 04:56 PM

I can see it! I’m a fan of him to an extent.

He can write a good song, and he does work with the right people at the right time too. He’s a relatable writer and his music kind of feel true to people. I think a lot of people think he’s much less manufactured etc than what he is like a lot of people would he surprised by the amount of co-writers etc are on his songs but I think people like him outside of this forum because they think he’s real as a person too.

Also.. he sort of sees what’s on trend and capitalises on it but without going too extreme to turn fans off. He is clever in terms of marketing etc like he isn’t someone who’s stuff all sounds exactly the same but you’re never gonna get a big risk from him either. He’s clever enough to not be too active on social sites where he posts stuff what’s not music related and he’s rarely in the news for causing trouble or mouthing off either so that probably helps him too. He sort of takes himself seriously as being like the good guy of pop in a way Taylor likes to be seen as the good girl of pop.

He’s talented to an extent. Like I don’t think he deserves as many #1s and those album sales but I can see it. My main issue with him is that as a live act he’s not really that interesting or stadium worthy like you don’t really get a show just watching him stand there if that makes sense. I’d take him over a lot of other male artists though.

Posted by: slowdown73 4th January 2020, 05:03 PM

Well he’s still had a lot of success with his latest collaborations album. It may not have reached the dizzy heights in terms of sales compared to his earlier albums but it’s sold consistently over last year and ended up the 2nd best selling album of last year. This has occurred in the context of album sales declining in general. He has also been very successful in the singles chart with multiple T10 singles off his latest album. I’m not sure why he is doing so well but he obviously continues to have mass appeal!

Posted by: sammy01 4th January 2020, 05:37 PM

Oh good an Ed Sheeran bashing thread.

Posted by: diamondtooth 4th January 2020, 05:38 PM

I don’t understand his appeal at all. In my opinion his personality is very fake and conniving! I find him very unlikable.
Also some of his lyrics, songs and videos are awful.

Meanwhile the UK has some fantastic singer songwriters that don’t get half enough attention e.g. James Morrison.

Posted by: T Boy 4th January 2020, 06:53 PM

Yeah, I’m not sure he is that good a songwriter. He’s capable that’s for sure but his songs aren’t always that memorable. He’s also quite frequently accused of stealing melodies and such. He’s overblown as a songwriter in the way that Gary Barlow is.

He’s got the ‘down to Earth’ thing to a tee. I’d love to say that it’s an act but I’m not too sure if I’m honest as I saw him in Yesterday and he wasn’t that convincing at playing himself.

I do think a lot of his success boils down to laziness on the part of the GP, our charts are made up from a lot of lazy listening habits. Ed Sheeran is a name people know and he’s generally regarded as decent and so people go for that.

Posted by: Chez Wombat 4th January 2020, 07:17 PM

He's just smart and knows how to play the industry - 'down to earth' image, never out of the spotlight for too long, writes songs that will be eaten up by the radio yet also has a bit of street cred with his collaboration with rappers and big names which opens him up to other audiences. I mean look at when he went for Christmas Number 1, he knew exactly what he needed to do to get it and he succeeded by a mile.

At this point, his name is enough to sell anything so he can do a lot of things that not a lot of artists can do. Yet he still never strays too far from MOR and never something not suitable for radio. It's all very safe, and honestly that reason is why I've never really got into him as I don't feel any of his songs have been a proper risk.

He'll fade eventually, every artist has a certain time of relevance before it passes on, he's just been good at making his time worth it.

Posted by: AcerBen 4th January 2020, 09:39 PM

Sorry but there has to be more to it than that. He hasn't got 3 of the top 5 best-selling singles of the decade for nothing. Some of his lyrics are a bit cringe but he knows how to write a catchy tune. You can't say his songs are not memorable.

Posted by: T Boy 4th January 2020, 09:50 PM

I can if I can barely remember them. Granted, it’s because I don’t listen to them more than a couple of times but that’s also the same for other chart hits that I do find memorable.

Charts of the decade are meaningless now. Streaming has overinflated the status of plenty of songs along with those three from Ed.

Shape Of You has ‘outsold’ Bohemian Rhapsody bit of you take that seriously, it’s quite worrying.

Posted by: sammy01 4th January 2020, 10:16 PM

It is ridiculous that you say these things like they are negatives, when if they were done by other buzzjack faves, like Kylie, Mariah, Little Mix, Leona etc, they would be seen as positives.

Most of this forum would love their fave artists to be a clever or as savvy as Ed and their faves are just as middle of the road making commercial pop music.

Posted by: davidas 4th January 2020, 10:17 PM

I’d love him to flop.. can’t stand his music and never got his appeal.

Posted by: Chez Wombat 4th January 2020, 10:34 PM

Where did I mention that they were negatives? It doesn't particularly bother me either way about the factors I mentioned in the first paragraph, I'm just thinking objectively. Good luck to him.

It's cool that you're going straight to stereotypes, but I don't particularly rate any of the artists you mention either (though I'd argue Kylie was a lot more open to experimentation when she was at her peak) for similar reasons and I really don't look to the charts at all for new music, so it's not a case of me thinking Ed is evil incarnate, it's that MOR, radio friendly or "Spotify" music in general just bores me and most artists in the chart play to it, and while Ed isn't the only one, he's a pretty clear face of it.

Posted by: Bjork 5th January 2020, 08:30 AM

I really liked him in the beginning but lost me as a fan cos of his fake "I'm normal" attitude and most importantly his bad lyrics

For his last era, sure he's done amazingly in singles, but...if you consider the crazy playlist support he gets, I actually think his last album has underperformed... not even getting double platinum is shocking, wonder where the album would be if you subtract the streaming points from playlists...

Posted by: SKOB 5th January 2020, 11:57 AM

Yea that bothers me in his arrogance that "he doesn't promote". I mean he had the biggest tour of the year and all possible playlist placements. Still only two of his tracks (IDC and BP) have been hits globally, SOTB might get there though and there was a radio station here in Finland that played Cross Me like crazy for whatever reason.

None of the singles have reached 1 billion listens on Spotify yet though. IDC is not very far away and doing pretty well still globally.

Posted by: Jüpiter👑 5th January 2020, 12:05 PM

Its pretty easy, he's a man, comes across as pretty humble, is unassuming looking amd writes songs mums will like, which got his foot in the door enough for him to get a huge marketing powerhouse machine behind him.

People as rich as Ed Sheeran is now don't fail or flop unless by choice or in the case of female artists, get what society calls 'too old'. Oldness is something that's still NEVER ascribed to male artists or something they're questioned about in interviews.

Posted by: Spiceboy 5th January 2020, 05:01 PM

The hatred for Ed on this forum is hilarious!

He’s popular because he writes good songs, is a likeable guy and has collaborated with the right people. I’m not his biggest fan but I like white a few tracks, there’s nothing offensive about him really hence he is popular to the masses. Seeing all the basic female artists that are so popular on here but the slating of successful male acts is hilarious as always!

Posted by: T Boy 5th January 2020, 05:39 PM

I think it’s hilarious that we still get members stereotyping and pigeonholing the site in general and that they use such hyperbole when they do so.

‘Hatred’ is a strong word and you’ve used it to make members that don’t like or are annoyed by Ed seem irrational when they’re just stating their opinions.

Not all of us stan basic female acts. There are female acts I enjoy but there are also male ones too as I spend a good amount of my time listening to Maroon 5, George Ezra, The Killers, Billy Joel, Arctic Monkeys and Stereophonics to name a few. I also don’t like Ariana Grande, Ellie Goulding, Billie Eilish, Rita Ora or Dua Lipa.

It’s so lazy to slate the tastes of the site as if we’re all the same and to state we ‘hate’ an artist for being successful.

The people I find most annoying on here are those who only like artists because they’re successful. And that their success means that the people who don’t like them have a problem.

Posted by: shadow2009 5th January 2020, 08:02 PM

What's with the 'he's a nice guy' thing? He's shown on numerous occasions to be incredibly cocky, has made digs at other artists for apparently 'copying' him, bragged about his success and if anything plays up to the 'down to earth' thing with his media appearances ("omg he only wore jeans and a t-shirt thats how down to earth he is!") etc.

Most artists these days are nice people. I could name dozens of artists who are genuinely humble about their success. When did wearing jeans and a t-shirt and writing passive aggressive songs like Love Yourself count as being a nice person?

Posted by: burning up! 5th January 2020, 09:49 PM

one of the biggest artists of the 80s, phil collins, was also seen as a regular man, and it helped him,i guess it´s also helping ed.his success? he writes catchy songs that can please teenagers, people in their 20s and even parents, he has some catchy pop non-dangerous songs. and hislast album I think has been a brilliant idea, he is using other big names, so it´s not about himself all the time,so he avoids a backlash.and some songs are really catchy...and if they don´t work, you can´t even blame him!

Posted by: tommie 5th January 2020, 10:02 PM

Male, young, collaborated with the right people and straddled different genres.

Let's see where he is ten years from now.

Posted by: Bré 5th January 2020, 10:05 PM

I've seen plenty of interviews with him and have never ever got a 'fake' or whatever other criticisms people have of his personality vibe from him at all. He really does just come across as a very down to Earth and likeable personality (very much like Lewis Capaldi), and I'd have thought even people who hate his music would admit that. I guess if you really want to twist him being ambitious and proud of his achievements as 'cocky' then ok but... how dare an artist care about their success and want to do well? He's not exactly out here claiming to be the greatest and most successful artist to ever walk the planet. Admittedly him saying he had no promotion for his collaborations album was a little disingenuous to say the least but that doesn't make him the devil lol ~

Also I said it before the album came out and I'll say it again now as people are still pushing the 'this album was an underperformance!' narrative, 'No.6 Collaborations Project' was simply never going to come close to matching the sales of his other albums because it's an entirely different concept that is not exactly a formula for massive album sales, what it was a formula for was giving as many people as possible a good number of songs to cherrypick and listen to from it, and in that matter it was very clearly a huge success since it produced 3 #1s and two further top 5 hits (plus several other songs that were very popular but blocked from the chart by the rules that his own previous successes caused to be brought in). Y'all don't be surprised when his next regular album most likely massively outsells this one, assuming he goes back to his usual schtick.

When has he ever done this? I only ever recall the exact opposite happening (like when he was accused of ripping songs from Matt Cardle / Marvin Gaye)? Maybe I just missed this but I don't remember anything like this and Google isn't bringing anything up ~

Posted by: Doctor Blind 5th January 2020, 10:25 PM

I'm not the biggest fan of Ed at all, but I can see why he has remained so popular/relevant.

Much as it pains me to say it he is clearly a very talented songwriter and he also has a very good team around him, he puts out music with a wide mainstream appeal which in turn generates greater hype and interest around him each time he puts out a new project or begins a new era. Needless to say he has put in a lot of hard work over many many years to build up the kind of fanbase and support that has helped him to get where he is. It's not for me, but clearly there is a massive market for this sort of thing, if he wasn't doing it someone else would be.

That said, the 'zero promo' thing about the No.6 Collaborations Project did wind me up!

Posted by: ChRiMbO LeG PiPe 5th January 2020, 10:27 PM

100% THIS

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 5th January 2020, 10:29 PM

Why does it trigger you so much if people don't like Ed Sheeran?

Posted by: sammy01 6th January 2020, 01:45 PM

I have no idea what triggered means. I assume you meant why does the irrational dislike of Ed on here when he does exactly the same as most of the posters on here basic faves do annoy me? Well because so many posts are so pot, kettle black. So many will criticise him for something, then beg and hope their own basic fave does the same but isn't as good so doesn't ever get the same results.

Bit like Mariah going all out for #1 on here being praised and rooted for but Ed going all out for the xmas number 1 a couple of years ago was desperate and those same people hated it.

I have absolutely no problem with anyone disliking Ed, he isn't exactly my cup of tea but constantly reading inconsistencies in why people dislike him is laughable. At least just be honest you are jealous your flop ass fave cant get the type of success Ed does.

Posted by: shadow2009 6th January 2020, 02:00 PM

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/ed-sheerans-fans-blast-him-173703372.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAAsjVGWZDWaCkgUSjpTmtbHPLfx8AMhtSvr_WwmTt-y-V2LHxjXgMedAp703b30WQskN-MFxUYCwZ_pYwj-lEZNBSnmylEuqhr4lgLf5ABFRm5g7Ot94eo5DtcmMQBRxuSsqMbIUua9Gmbv1DpcORd7jGN-8_NKm40I6X0D8lEMr



He's a knob. Also that time he was bragging about shagging all of Taylor Swift's pals.

Posted by: Popchartfreak 6th January 2020, 02:12 PM

I'd say he was stating a fact - before Sheeran male singer-songwriters with a folkie bent were old hat, now they are all the rage, and by and large they are less interesting than Sheeran taking his career overall. That's the music biz in a nutshell: someone gets huge success, and the soundalikes jump in on it, always was, always will. Some use it as a platform before branching out, some don;t have the talent to do that. I'm not claiming he was the first folkie male singer-songwriter, mind, if were are talking that then we go back to the 60's and 70's for the inspirations for that. He did bring it back as a thing in a modern music biz though.

I still dislike his ballads though

Posted by: Bré 6th January 2020, 02:15 PM

That's not him taking a dig at other artists for copying him, he's saying he wouldn't mind if people copied him... and he also says in the exact same quote that he's not the first person to do it... I really think there's some massive straw clutching going on here for reasons to dislike him.

And again I don't remember this and can't find it on Google but I already can't wait to see how much you're twisting whatever he supposedly said on this topic out of context lol

Posted by: 365 6th January 2020, 02:32 PM

Ed is very calculated and it's quite transparent, but it works for him, so you can't really argue it, when it seems to be what he wants from the industry at this point.

For example, he bottles up his work as something authentic and "real". Even the "title" of his latest album, is his way of trying to pass it off as some experimental little side project... When in reality he has simply gone down a list of the most streamed and up and coming artists of now, and what we're left with is an album featuring everyone who has had a song with 1 billion streams in the last couple of years, but it's packaged in a way in which your generic album buyer think they're getting something innovative.

Like I said, it's a winning formula. But the final project often comes off pretty empty, which is why he suffers critically.

Posted by: SKOB 6th January 2020, 02:42 PM

Well put! Also, can't see the younger generation (people under 20) getting behind his music en masse any more in coming years.

Posted by: sammy01 6th January 2020, 02:44 PM

It is called the no.6 collaborations project because before he got signed and hit the big time he released 5 EPs and the 5th was called no.5 collaborations project. It is a continuation of his pre-signed days and paying homage to that.

Again there is so much absolute rubbish spoken about him on here. He does a side project continuing on the name and theme of his pre-signed work and yet you still make it out like it's some masterminded underhand thing.

Posted by: SKOB 6th January 2020, 02:57 PM

It still doesn't delete the fact that the artists he collaborated with were chosen in as opportunistic way as possible.

Posted by: shadow2009 6th January 2020, 03:01 PM

It's not a 'side project'. It's an album. It has Justin Bieber, Khalid, Stormzy, Cardi B, Dave, Camila Cabello, Chance The Rapper and other popular/heavily streamed artists on every single track. It got Spotify playlisting, music videos, radio airplay and interviews/live performances to promote it. He released it on every media sharing application possible. It's very blatantly him trying to undermime it's effort and expectations ("just a little thing I've been working on! Who cares about the charts?!") yet giving it the same treatment as a solo album.

These artists have HUGE streams and very popular on Spotify. He didn't collaborate with any small time artists, did he? It's all A-Listers. Even looking at the non-singles he's still got tracks with Eminem, 50 Cent, Bruno Mars, Young Thug, J Hus, Skrillex, Boogie With Da Hoodie....

You don't see him getting some small-time, local acts on his stuff do you? For someone who goes on about being from 'London' and how he can't relate to anyone living the celebrity/famous lifestyle you'd think he'd help out some London acts who could benefit hugely from the exposure and change their careers but instead he goes for Dave and Stormzy who he knows will benefit his streams.

Posted by: Bjork 6th January 2020, 03:04 PM

about being cocky: you cannot deny that his lyrics about there Divide tour making millions is a very cocky statement, that's just the opposite of humble

Posted by: 365 6th January 2020, 03:21 PM

I appreciate and respect that it's hard seeing criticism for an artist you love, we can all get defensive about these kinds of things, but I think this is quite facetious. Ed Sheeran is very talented, and has shown moments of pure brilliance over the course of his career, but it's silly to deny that he uses this authentic, underdog, every man image to further his success, more now than ever.

Even if you look at the lyrics of 'Beautiful People' for instance, he sings as if he's some sad, wee relatable wallflower who feels out of place at parties for the rich and famous when the reality he's pictured in all the top parties in LA schmoozing with fellow A-listers and hanging with Victoria models.

But what I'm saying is that the I'm this down-and-out everyman with a guitar image works for him, and if it gets him money and a load of #1s, then good him - that's his aim I would assume! But you can't judge a lot of people for being cynical.

And, again, while I have no issue that you're such a massive Ed Sheeran apologist (people should enjoy what they like! - I actually think a couple of the songs on the new album are perfectly catchy myself), some of the arguments you push again and again just simply do not ring true.

"It is ridiculous that you say these things like they are negatives, when if they were done by other buzzjack faves, like Kylie, Mariah, Little Mix, Leona etc, they would be seen as positives."

Let's look at Little Mix for a moment, who are very popular here - their single 'Bounce Back' got a massive push, huge playlisting, huge Spotify payola, 3(!) videos including a vertical video added straight to Hot Hits...I could go on. But people's main issue was "Why are they doing all this for such an underwhelming single?"

And I know it's been said time and time again, but people picking out issues with Ed Sheeran has never been an "on here" issue. It's not some bizarre Buzzjack obsession, maybe expand your reach to a couple more websites, his album just won "least imaginative A&R decision" on the Popjustice readers poll for example.

Posted by: Bré 6th January 2020, 04:49 PM

I'm not going to argue that his music is any more 'authentic' than any other pop music because it obviously isn't, No.6 was a focus grouped project geared at giving him a ton of hit singles and there's totally legitimate criticism of the music / 'artistry' involved in it, hence it getting ripped apart by the critics and pretty justifiably so. That's 95% of all pop music. But come on, this is a massive stretch. The title is A) a literal description of what the project is and B) a reference to one of his older EPs, I don't know how you think anyone is seeing the title 'No.6 Collaborations Project' and thinking that it must be some low budget weird experimental project with no-name artists when it's very clearly got a ton of huge names on it (and of course it does, it's an update to the concept of the last EP that reflects that he's now a bigger artist). And he's not exactly going to come out marketing it as 'lol I don't care about this music at all it's just what the label told me to do', neither would any other pop artist?



Wow he put one flexing line into a rap song, world shocked. I don't understand why you seem to think this lyric is so uniquely awful that you've pointed it out a good 10 times, it was so painfully predictable you'd mention it in this thread eventually.

Never mind that the whole song is about how he's had big success but still wants to come back home to do simple things, completely fitting his 'everyman' image. Is he supposed to just never acknowledge that he's had massive achievements?

Posted by: JosephStyles 6th January 2020, 05:03 PM

It is a side project, it's quite clearly not intended to be his fourth "proper" album because of its concept. It's a bit like a Christmas album in that sense - I don't think many people consider Under the Mistletoe to be Justin Bieber's actual sophomore album over Believe, because being a concept album (ie. Christmas music) separates it from his usual releases. It's an album, just a different type of album and therefore more of a side project. You do realise that he likely has little say in Spotify playlisting and radio airplay too? The label will control most of this, and why WOULDN'T they want to promote an album by one of the biggest artists in the world, collaborating with some of the other biggest artists in the world? It would be absolutely baffling if they didn't.

re. his "no promo" comment, it was silly and short-sighted but I think he meant TV & radio interviews and performances - he's actually done none of these during the No.6 Collaborations Project era. Not a single track has been performed on TV and the only interviews seem to be exclusive to his YouTube channel. Obviously promotion also includes Spotify playlisting etc but again, Ed doesn't control the playlists.

It's also interesting that you missed out the album also seeing contributions from YEBBA, PnB Rock, Ella Mai, Paulo Londra and H.E.R, all of whom are relatively unknown especially in the UK, or are up-and-coming. Perhaps no complete unknowns, but like Bré said, it's a clear progression from No.5 Collaborations Project, which was the intention of this release.

Posted by: Bré 6th January 2020, 05:10 PM

This is a great analogy - the lines between what an album / mixtape / EP / whatever are very much blurred now (I'd argue this project is more of a 'mixtape' than an album for whatever nearly nonexistent distinction there is between the two) but even if you do want to insist on calling it his 4th studio album it's very clear that it's an entirely different concept to his previous albums and is not intended to be the real successor to '÷' in his discography. It being promoted does not mean it isn't a side project. I'd say Lady Gaga's 'Cheek To Cheek' is also similar, no one considers that to be the follow-up album to 'ARTPOP' or makes a big deal about how it sold far less.

I know this isn't really relevant to the point of this thread but I just find it a little disingenuous when people compare the success of this release to that of '÷' as if they're not two different releases that had different aims and 'No.6 Collaborations Project' was never going to be a behemoth album seller like that was xx

Posted by: Bré 6th January 2020, 05:20 PM

#edsheerandefenceforce

Posted by: SKOB 6th January 2020, 05:35 PM

Out of curiosity, what would be DIFFERENT to I Don't Care when he returns with a new single then (I assume sometimes 2021)?

The thing is, he would put out songs EXACTLY like IDC and BP no matter what the album was titled.

Posted by: JosephStyles 6th January 2020, 05:38 PM

Yet he'd be unlikely to be putting out songs like Cross Me, Antisocial and some of the album tracks. It's still an Ed Sheeran release, it's no shock that his style is still present on it, but that doesn't stop it not being the proper, actual follow-up to Divide.

Posted by: coi 6th January 2020, 05:38 PM

It wouldn't be a collaboration

Posted by: Bré 6th January 2020, 05:39 PM

It'd probably be a solo song for one thing, considering none of his previous albums had any collaborations on them...

The main difference will be that the next album will (presumably) have at least an attempt at some sort of cohesion rather than being a collection of totally unrelated standalone songs blending their genres around the choices of features.

Posted by: Jay ☆ 6th January 2020, 05:43 PM

I understand & agree with the point Joe was making re: the impression Ed/his label wants to give with this release. The title / the way it’s been marketed, is very deliberate. On the surface, it being tied in with his pre-fame releases suggests some kind of “back to his roots” moment, but in actuality it’s simply his most commercialised release so far, with a slew of huge names, tailor made for streaming. What Joe said wasn’t a criticism! It was an observation on how it’s been marketed in a clever way.

Posted by: Bré 6th January 2020, 05:52 PM

'No.5 Collaborations Project' was arguably his most commercialised release up to that point as well lol so I think that's fitting ~ the names on that EP aren't as huge as the ones on No.6 but they weren't obscure either, they are some of the biggest names in grime.

It is throwing a bone to people who have been long time fans of him so clever marketing in that way but I disagree with Joe implying that the title was chosen to somehow trick people into thinking it's experimental. It is what it is, an update to the formula of the original EP, and the title is a reflection of that.

Posted by: 365 6th January 2020, 06:58 PM

hmmm My post was just a direct response to the thread's title, 'How has Ed Sheeran managed to stay so relevant?', in which my take was one example of the way he very cleverly walks the line between making massive, commercial pop bangers, but packages it as something more 'authentic' and 'high brow' to help it appeal to as wide a demographic possible (unlike, say, something by Liam Payne or Mabel would, despite using some of the same co-writers and producers as them). Yes, I can find it hollow and overly calculated but I also think most of the people who are sick of him also wish their favs were as savvy in the business.

(Spotify exposed me as an Ed stan for the first time last year with 3 of the songs off the album ending up on my Wrapped)

Posted by: shadow2009 6th January 2020, 07:04 PM

But why not? It's had singles released? Music videos? It's released on all platforms? What's actually the difference between this album (besides the fact it's got the word 'project' in the title) and his other albums?

If it was a massive smash seller he'd be taking credit for it and saying he had "xx amount of million selling albums" but it seems like he's labelled it like this so if it flops or underperforms he can just say 'it wasn't an album anyway'.

Posted by: Bré 6th January 2020, 07:04 PM

That's fair then, just thought you were slightly overthinking the significance of the album title ~

Posted by: Bré 6th January 2020, 07:13 PM

This album is a collection of songs spanning vastly different genres packaged together into the format of an album, it's designed to target basically every conceivable market but targeting different markets with different songs, the album as a whole package doesn't and surely wasn't designed to fully appeal to nearly anyone (which his other albums were as they had much more cohesion), so it was not going to attract the same level of pure sales and was always going to be more reliant on people cherrypicking their favourite songs on streaming. Especially as most of the singles were more mainstream pop / hip-hop leaning while his previous massive album sales, at least as far as physical sales go, can almost certainly be mostly attributed to people who favoured his more ballad / folk-ish songs which lend themselves more to selling albums. It's almost more like a Now That's What I Call Music album than a normal artist album lol ~

And once again, an album being promoted does not mean it isn't a side project, I don't understand how people are making this logical leap.

Also he'd have every right to take credit for it having massive sales when he didn't expect it to?

Posted by: JosephStyles 6th January 2020, 07:13 PM

It was a different concept from the very start, it's nothing to do with "if it flops". It's Ed Sheeran, it was never going to flop when the singles were smartly picked to be the most radio friendly tracks.

The difference between this and the other albums is the fact it's got an actual concept - collaborations. It was a project he worked on between albums to follow up his pre-fame EP. That's what makes it different and I think it's pretty obvious?

Posted by: Bré 6th January 2020, 07:23 PM

Also another argument that I've been over before back when it came out... even if there is no real difference between an 'album' and something that's not an 'album', the way these projects are marketed does still demonstrably make a difference, with projects marketed as actual albums almost invariably performing better. Drake's 'More Life' era isn't materially much different to the 'real' albums released either side of it but it still made significantly less impact because it was marketed as a 'playlist' rather than an album and received less promotion.

(sorry this is going way off topic and just rehashing an argument that was already had months ago, lemme shut up x)

Posted by: ThePensmith 6th January 2020, 09:22 PM

I will say that whilst I'm a fan of Ed, I've grown cold on the 'Divide' era since it came out three years ago (nearly said two, forgetting we were in a new year) to the point I just kept the handful of tracks I liked from it on my hard drive and sold my copy on. Put side by side with his first two albums, for me there was a marked downturn in quality control, and really 'Castle on the Hill' was it's one strong single for me.

When he does do a proper new album next - which will probably be a year hence, given he's just gone on another hiatus - I hope he comes back with something a little more in keeping with his earlier material. The simplicity of that material was what made him charming and engaging in the first place, and I rather think he lost sight of all of that whilst consciously chasing 'hits'.

Posted by: Tawdry Hepburn 6th January 2020, 10:54 PM

Agreed! I actually even rather liked him up until the Divide era, but he's just completely lost any shred of authenticity since then. I think 'Castle on the Hill' and 'Cross Me' are the only two things he's been involved in that I've liked.

Posted by: sammy01 6th January 2020, 11:46 PM

Did someone in this thread compare Ed's output to Liam Payne and Mabel because they have used some of the same co-writers Jesus christ.

Whether you want to admit it or not, Ed's music is more authentic and has way more input in it than most pop artists. He plays his music live as a 1 man band with a loop pedal too.

It is his writing, his songs, his instrumentation and he can perform it all solo on his own without any assistance. That is why he gets an authentic tag and rightly so.

Posted by: kingbritman 7th January 2020, 03:16 AM

The reason why Ed Sheeran is so popular is just Ed Sheeran is a Mozart, Beethoven comparing to other contemporarry musicians.

Just look at Ariana grande, Iggy Azalea, Nicki Minaj etc and you will understand

He persuaded his fanboys he makes real ambitious music and they believed it.

Nothing special ut level or two above adriana
, Mabel etc

Posted by: kingbritman 7th January 2020, 03:17 AM

Ed just presents us his music instead of arse, lingerie etc. And this category people who appreciated it make Ed their favourite

Posted by: kingbritman 7th January 2020, 03:23 AM

Yes he is right kind of brat privately

But look at Lewis Capaldi. Copied James Arthur style and look what he says in Metro etc, lot of bollocks.

Still people buy it

You an sell anything in UK, people just buy you are yourself and have a style.

BTW is harry Styles gay? It looks like!

Posted by: Jüpiter👑 7th January 2020, 04:43 AM

He's just the latest in a long line of people doing the same thing. James Morrison, James Blunt, Paolo Nutini etc. etc. Except he wisely didn't take hiatuses early on & invested his money wisely in image & music videos & market research to keep people interested.

Posted by: Jay ☆ 7th January 2020, 05:29 AM

Ironically this tone of response proves what was said is right, in that how someone is marketed & thus how they’re perceived is crucial. It makes people react all incredulously if someone like Ed is dared to be compared to other artists.

It shows precisely how Liam Payne got it all incredibly wrong with his image, despite the fact that ‘Stack It Up’ (his album launch single) isn’t a world away from the recent music Ed has been peddling very successfully. It is in fact an Ed Sheeran written song, co-written with Fred Gibson and Steve Mac, who are all over Divide & No. 6 Collaborations Project (writing and production duties). I dare say if this song had been released as “Ed Sheeran feat. A Boogie wit da Hoodie’ and included on his recent album, it would have done better as an album track than it did for Liam as a full blown single, and not experienced the universally bad reception that Liam received.

I’d be interested to know your specific reasons to scoff at the Mabel comparison! Are you aware that she has writing credits for every song on her album?

The interesting thing is that critics see through the “authentic/talented/down-to-earth artist” marketing & don’t regard his recent output as being all that special (the Divide & No. 6 reviews were overall tepid at best) but for the public & ardent fans he can clearly do no wrong!

Posted by: burning up! 7th January 2020, 07:16 AM

I see this album as a colection of singles, he may had released them one by one instead of all together...and it´s the second most sold album of the year, so, even when he hasn´t sold as much as with his previous albums, it´s a success

Posted by: SKOB 7th January 2020, 07:34 AM

Sheeran is essentially a hitmaker who writes songs to several artists. His authenticity comes from being very recognizable - One can tell if a song is written by Sheeran.

It helps when creating an image but also makes songs very formulaic easily.

Posted by: sammy01 7th January 2020, 08:03 AM

If Ed is giving away a song he has written you can assume 2 things, he either doesn't think it fits himself as an artist or isn't good enough for him to release. He isn't giving Liam Payne a Thinking out loud let's be real.

Posted by: Bjork 7th January 2020, 08:17 AM

predictable but true
Ed always compares himself to the great singer-songwriters in the past but you don't see Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen writing oh I made 5 million in my last tour
You live in an alternative universe if you think Ed is a good lyricist

Posted by: JosephStyles 7th January 2020, 08:32 AM

Ed is not Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen. He has also written far worse lyrics than that lol. Equally, look at Thinking Out Loud - you don't have to like the song to find it well written. You're projecting your personal opinion onto everyone else.

Posted by: M4NGO 7th January 2020, 09:42 AM

Not sure I'd want to see Ed's arse in lingerie

Posted by: Bjork 7th January 2020, 10:04 AM

actually I think this is the worst argument I've seen in here to defend Ed
arguing that he has the right to brag in his songs

no he doesn't
and any good lyricist wouldn't brag about sales in his songs

Posted by: sammy01 7th January 2020, 01:23 PM

So survivor by Destiny's child is a shit song and everyone on here hates it and them and Beyonce 'Thought we wouldn't sell without you sold 9m'

Posted by: JosephStyles 7th January 2020, 01:28 PM

Why does he not have the right? It's a silly suggestion quite frankly.

Posted by: M4NGO 7th January 2020, 02:54 PM

Most rappers brag in their lyrics, why can't Ed?

Posted by: coi 7th January 2020, 03:04 PM

Especially since that lyric was on a song with Stormzy, another artist that does that!