Ed Sheeran
Born and raised in England, the popular singer Ed Sheeran is wildly popular in Ireland and beyond. Unlike many young musicians, he does not use a loud back-up band to accompany his lyrics. My honorary Irish granddaughters sang his praises, but only when I heard his heartfelt bluesy version of the traditional Irish ballad The Parting Glass, did I truly understand what they were on about.
The girls will attend his Dublin concert in October. The tickets went on sale last week and were sold out immediately. Since the girls got theirs, another concert has been added in the O2.
Coming as I do from a background filled with the traditional folk ballads and protest songs of the sixties, I'm delighted to hear the young sing intelligible lyrics that say speak to real human experience, expressed within the discipline of our ancient human traditions of rhythm and rhyme.
Rare among today's young urban performers, Sheeran also sings traditional songs about the rural landscape. Here he is with Wild Mountain Thyme. His own compositions include hits sung by other bands as well as movie soundtracks. This song, "I See Fire," is from The Hobbit.
Ed Sheeran also supported the No Going Home campaign, helping to speak out for young people in crisis and lobbying the government to keep housing grants accessible for youth fleeing abuse.
Sheeran has been performing since his teens and has been an international award-winning star since 2011. This amazing young musician, who said in a 2012 interview that he hated his nickname Ginger Jesus, is just 23 years old.