The Year in Music 2019: Ed Sheeran breaks records on tour and collaborates in the studio

Mark SurridgeThis year, Ed Sheeran was a record-breaking one-man-band on tour and a hitmaking collaborator in the studio.

On his Grammy-nominated No.6 Collaborations Project, which came out in July, Ed teamed with some of his favorite artists and pals, including Justin Bieber on the hit “I Don’t Care,” Camila Cabello and Cardi B on “South of the Border,” and Bruno Mars and Chris Stapleton on “Blow.” No.6 Collaborations Project debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.

Ed’s Divide tour ended its two-year run in August, officially becoming the highest-grossing tour of all time and beating previous record-holder U2. According to Billboard Boxscore, the tour sold 8.9 million tickets and grossed $776.2 million.

During his final hometown show in Ipswich, England on August 26, Ed told the crowd it probably would be his last gig for 18 months.

This year Ed also stretched his acting chops, appearing as a version of himself in the Danny Boyle film Yesterday, about a struggling musician who wakes up in a world where nobody but he remember The Beatles.

In his personal life, Ed finally confirmed his marriage to Cherry Seaborn after months of speculation. They tied the knot privately, though it’s not clear when. In an interview in July, Ed said he “just got married” and admitted he thinks Cherry is out of his league.

It wasn’t just 2019 that was good to Ed — it was the whole decade. In December, Ed was named U.K.’s number-one artist of the past 10 years.

In a video, Ed responded to the honor, saying, “I didn’t really expect to have a career past five years, so to be able to have done it for a decade and to be the number-one artist of the decade is pretty nuts. …[T]hank you so much, and here’s to the next 10 years! Nice one!”