Today, Ed Sheeran is one of the world’s biggest performers in the world.
Although people probably know already, Sheeran is an English singer-songwriter who is 28 years old. He has penned all kinds of hit songs including “Thinking Out Loud,” “Shape of You” and “Castle on the Hill.”
To date, he has sold more than 150 million records worldwide, which makes him one of the world’s single best-selling artists at the moment. Still, though it may be hard to imagine, even artists like Sheeran need to start somewhere.
As it turns out, Sheeran tried a few other avenues before he got the breakout success we know him for today.
When Sheeran was just 16, he auditioned to be on a musical TV show called Britannia High.
Because the show was a British production and only ran for one season, most people have not ever seen or heard of the program. Regardless, it represented a big opportunity for any teens and young adults at the time as a major opportunity to showcase their talents. At the time the show was being made, Sheeran was a relative unknown and was only a teenager.
Regardless, his performance offers a glimpse into the incredible artist that we all know today.
As the video begins, there’s a short portion where Sheeran sings with a ukelele—and his voice is immediately recognizable.
Right away, it’s easy to see just how young Sheeran is. His hair looks different and he has no facial hair at all. Still, when he sings and plays his instrument, he’s still the very talented person whom we all know today. Needless to say, the judges react very positively to his singing performance—but that’s not the only thing they’re looking for in the casting process.
After the singing is over, it’s time for the participants to show how well they can dance.
As it turns out, Sheeran is not quite as good of a dancer as he is a singer.
To prove his skills, the judges start playing Justin Timberlake’s “Like I Love You” to see how well Sheeran can dance to it. Unfortunately, that part of the audition does not go nearly as well for him as the singing did… and the judges are quick to comment on it. One of the judges is particularly harsh in her assessment: “Not even an option.”
After five days of auditions, it was time to decide who would continue on to the show.
At the end of it all, the judges call all the contestants into a room to see who will proceed to the next round of auditions.
After a few minutes, the names are called… and Sheeran makes it into the next round! After a little bit of celebrating, the camera crew catches up with Sheeran to get his reaction on making it to the next round.
“I’m very surprised actually,” he says with a big smile on his face, “because I can’t dance.” Still, the audition process wasn’t quite over yet.
After that first phase, it was onto the workshops.
Though everyone is talented, they start working on pretty complicated choreography.
Working with the judges and coaches, Sheeran tries and tries to get better at dancing. Though his spirits are high, it’s clear he’s still struggling. Fortunately, there are more chances for him to shine while singing and playing guitar. Regardless of the other parts of the show, all of the judges are completely blown away by Sheeran’s musical talents. “He’s the real thing,” one of the judges can be heard saying.
Needless to say, everyone recognized even then that Sheeran was set to be something special.
Although Sheeran ultimately doesn’t get a role on the show, this clip is a great insight into the creative journey.
For anyone who is trying to make a living or a career off of their creative talents, learning that it will be full of ups and downs is of supreme importance. Although Sheeran wasn’t chosen, everyone around him still recognized just how talented he was—they just didn’t think he was right for the show. For his part, he takes the missed opportunity particularly well. And after all, Sheeran has gone on to astronomical levels of fame whereas few people have ever heard of this British TV show… just goes to show that you need to keep trying!
Congratulations to Ed Sheeran on the success he’s found today! Check out the full clip below:
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