Earlier today, Ed Sheeran took to Instagram to share the news that he has made history once more with the Diamond certification of his Grammy winning “Thinking Out Loud.” The single – which won a pair of awards, including “Song Of The Year,” at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards – has achieved sales and streams exceeding 10 million, becoming only the 15th song to do so since the RIAA first implemented the Diamond certification nearly 20 years ago.
Sheeran recently celebrated the 2x-Platinum certification of his blockbuster 3rd studio album ÷ (pronounced “divide”) and the 7x-Platinum certification of the album’s lead single “Shape Of You” during his sold-out, 3 night stand at Brooklyn’s Barclays Arena.
“÷” continues to be the biggest selling album of the year thus far. After debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 with the biggest first week sales at the time of its March release, ÷ remained in the chart’s top 10 for a staggering 24 weeks, and recently returned to the top 10, climbing to #6 this week. In the U.S. alone, tracks on “÷” have collectively earned more than 1 billion on demand streams. Sheeran has likewise enjoyed record-setting success with “Shape Of You,” which is now the most streamed on song ever on Spotify. In addition to topping Billboard’s “Hot 100” for 12 weeks, the hit song remained in the top 10 for 33 consecutive weeks, the most ever in the chart’s 59-year history. “Shape of You” and follow-up Platinum certified single “Castle On The Hill” debuted at #1 and #6 respectively on Billboard’s “Hot 100” upon their tandem release at the top of the year, establishing Sheeran as the first artist to ever have two singles make simultaneous top 10 debuts. In a recent GRAMMY preview, Billboard cited “÷” and “Shape Of You” as frontrunners for “Album Of The Year,” “Song Of The Year” and “Record Of The Year” nominations, respectively.
Last month, Sheeran launched “Perfect,” the latest single from “÷,” with nationally televised performances of the song on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and MTV’s “TRL.” The song has already begun its ascent up the pop radio charts while the companion lyric video is now up to over 100 million views after amassing over 3 million views in the first 24 hours.
On the heels of this summer’s completely sold out arena tour, Sheeran announced details for his first-ever North American stadium tour. Dates begin next summer on Aug. 18 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA, and continue into November. For more information, visit edsheeran.com/NATour2018.
Sheeran will close out the year, performing at iHeartRadio Jingle Ball concerts at the Staples Center in LA for KIIS-FM on December 1 and Madison Square Garden in NYC for Z-100 on Dec. 8, as well as the 99.7 Now! Poptopia at the SAP Center in San Jose, CA, on Dec. 2.
