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Ed Sheeran · S2 E5
Jamie’s Couch
An open mic night in LA, a stunned Jamie Foxx, and the keys to a Hollywood recording studio
Ed Sheeran walks into an open mic night in Los Angeles with a guitar and no return ticket. The room is full of local poets and rappers, and an Oscar-winning actor is watching from a booth.
"Beautiful People" (Ed Sheeran ft. Khalid, official music video, 2019). Ed's anthem for everyone who doesn't belong in the VIP section. That was exactly his situation in 2010: a homeless kid from Suffolk walking into a Hollywood open mic night, not dressing right, not knowing anyone, and not caring.
Beautiful People (feat. Khalid), Ed Sheeran (2019)
Ed wrote "Beautiful People" with Khalid about the feeling of being an outsider in rooms full of money and fame. The production mixes acoustic guitar with slick pop beats, keeping one foot in Ed's busking roots and the other in modern radio. Listen for how Ed's vocal sits slightly underneath the beat, like someone who's comfortable not being the loudest person in the room. That comfort comes from years of walking into places where nobody knew his name.
Sources
Mulligan, Mark. "Ed Sheeran: The Biography." John Blake Publishing, 2018.
“I know you don't have anywhere to go, just chill here. He stayed for six weeks. And then I took him to one of my shows, 800 people in the crowd, and he gets up with red hair and a ukulele.”
— Jamie Foxx on Ed Sheeran, The Graham Norton Show, BBC, June 2017
The Invitation
Jamie Foxx doesn't just compliment Ed after the show. He takes him home. Ed gets the keys to Jamie's professional recording studio and an open invitation to use it around the clock. For a kid who's been sleeping on the Circle Line, this is like being handed the keys to another universe.
Sources
Nolan, David. "Ed Sheeran: A+." Omnibus Press, 2014.
Mulligan, Mark. "Ed Sheeran: The Biography." John Blake Publishing, 2018.
TAP TO REVEAL: How long did Ed actually stay at Jamie Foxx's house?
The Return
Ed flies back to London with a hard drive full of new recordings and a contact list that didn't exist three weeks ago. He's still homeless, still unsigned, but something has shifted. The music industry hasn't noticed Ed Sheeran yet, but Jamie Foxx just told millions of listeners to pay attention.
Sources
Mulligan, Mark. "Ed Sheeran: The Biography." John Blake Publishing, 2018.
The LA Trip
Dive, Ed Sheeran (2017)
"Dive" is about taking a risk on someone and hoping they catch you. Ed took the biggest dive of his life when he bought a one-way ticket to LA with no money, no contacts, and no plan. The song is from ÷, but the feeling traces back to 2010: walking into a room and betting everything on one performance.
Dive, Ed Sheeran (2017)
"Don't call me baby unless you mean it." Ed writes about wanting commitment, but the lyrics read differently in the context of his career: a kid who kept putting everything on the line and hoping someone would finally say yes. The vulnerability in these words is the same vulnerability he carried into that LA open mic night.
How did Jamie Foxx first introduce Ed Sheeran to an American audience?
Ed returns to London with new recordings, new connections, and a growing online following. Next episode: he releases an EP without a label, it hits number two on iTunes, and every record company in London suddenly has his phone number.
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