J-14 is scouting out the hottest music around and this week's pick is...British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran!
Here are five things you need to know about Ed Sheeran whose album + is out in the US on June 11.
1. Born in Halifax, England, 21-year-old Ed Sheeran found his interest in music at an early age, learning the guitar and penning his own songs by high school. His career evolved naturally from his initial music hobby. "There was never actually a moment where I was like, 'This is my career now. I'm going to do this,'" he says. "It kind of all happened quite naturally and quite unexpectedly."
2. Though he's been touring for years and has already gained an incredible amount of success worldwide with his catchy and melodic tunes, he's set to make a big splash in America on June 11 when his album + is released.
3. Like his good mates One Direction (he penned their song "Moments" on their album!), Ed is a huge of the popular chicken joint Nandos. He even freestyled a rap video about the restaurant which got more than two million views on YouTube as well as gaining him a Nando's Gold Card.
4. Two of Ed's musical inspirations include rapper Eminem and Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice. "The music that I play is acoustic soul with hip-hop influences," Ed explains.
5. Ed's "Lego House"'s music video features Harry Potter star Rupert Grint! Think you're seeing double? "Rupert actually doesn't sing on the song," Ed says. "I chose him to appear in the video because he and I look alike and I wanted to add a bit of humor to the song through the video."
Check out his music video for "Lego House" featuring Rupert below and let us know what you think!
Photo: Courtesy of Atlantic Records
