Shecky’s

While Ed Sheeran is fairly new name to Americans, this 21-year-old singer is no stranger to success. Back home in the U.K., his debut album, + is certified quadruple platinum and earned him two 2012 BRIT awards–a.k.a. the British Grammy’s–including Best British Male Solo Artist and British Breakthrough of the Year. Now, as his song “The A Team” continues to climb the charts in the USA, we had the chance to chat with the red-headed cutie about chasing our dreams, the meaning behind his hit song and what his ideal girl would be. You’ll want to remember his name, because this kid is sure to be a part of the A list soon!

Q: Your song, “The A Team,” is so sad. Who or what inspired you to write that?
Ed: I did a gig in a homeless shelter and it was written about one of the women that I met there–her story and journey. It was quite an eye-opening experience doing that gig.

Q: Your songs seem so much more mature than other artists around your age. Do you think your experiences help you to stand apart from other young people in the music industry?
Ed: I think everyone’s experiences and songs stand apart from each other. I try and write about what I know about and if that comes as older and more experienced, that’s not my original intention. I just kind of wanted to write songs, if that makes sense.

Q: Do you consider yourself a confident person?
Ed: Yeah, I think you have to be a very confident person to get on stage every day. You have to work at confidence–you don’t start off as confident. I’ve worked at it quite a lot. I’m confident on stage more than in real life. Off stage, I guess I’m a bit shy when meeting new people.

Q: Do you have any advice for people who are currently chasing their dreams?
Ed: Just don’t stop. Keep holding out for it to happen because eventually it will if you work hard enough to do as many things as you can to help you get to that point. So if you are hoping to be a musician, just write as many songs as you can and do as many gigs as possible–and always be nice to people.

Q: Was your road to success difficult? How long have you been doing this and chasing your dreams?
Ed: Professionally almost 6 years. Unprofessionally, more than 10 years.

Q: In America, we love guys with accents. What do you think of American women?
Ed: I think American women are great. Yea, they have a good sense of humor.

Q: So, what’s your ideal girl?
Ed: A girl with a sense of humor, I think, and good eyes. I like to be with a girl who can make me laugh, and be able to get my jokes as well because my jokes aren’t always that funny.

Q: Do you have any advice for women, something you wish they knew but they don’t?
Ed: I wish girls smiled more. There are quite a lot of grumpy girls out there. Everyone should smile more.

Image Credit: billboard.com

-Samantha Sutton of All That and A Side of Awkward

Samantha Sutton is a 23 year old aspiring lifestyle writer who lives in NYC. She enjoys giving advice, the show Girls and being in love. Please visit her blog All That and A Side Of Awkward for more of her writing!

Girl Talk Time: Are you loving Ed Sheeran’s hit “The A Team”? What do you think of this redheaded cutie and his music career? What overseas band or musician do you wish made it back in the states?