Ed Sheeran, 2016

The internationally acclaimed musician Ed Sheeran (b. 1991) started playing the guitar and writing songs at a young age. He began recording in 2005, self-releasing LPs and playing small gigs (312 in 2009 alone). He built a strong fan base on social media before his first single ‘The A Team’ (2011) entered the UK chart at number three. His 2014 album x (Multiply) became a UK and US number one, and ÷ (Divide), released in 2017, made history as the fastest-selling album by a male artist. Characterised by a blend of acoustic, pop, folk and hip hop, Sheeran’s work has won Ivor Novello, BRIT and Grammy awards.

Sheeran was introduced to the Northern Irish portraitist Colin Davidson (b. 1968) through his father, an art historian and curator. This portrait, one of two Davidson painted of the musician, represents Sheeran in a moment of quiet introspection. It is based on a sitting at Sheeran’s home in Suffolk, during which Davidson made around twenty drawings from life. Davidson commented: ‘I deliberately didn’t want Ed to perform and that was odd for him.’

National Portrait Gallery, London. Purchased, 2017
© Colin Davidson