He wasn’t supposed to show up. A rough-and-ready redhead kid with a guitar who sleeps on friends’ couches, busks on the streets of London, and performs small gigs for meager pay. He had no connections to the industry or a record label, just a resolute will and the belief that his music could change his life. And it did.

He started writing songs before he was even a teenager and grew up in a small town. In 1991, he was born in Halifax, England. Influenced by Damien Rice, he started recording his own EPs and doing open mic nights. At sixteen, he dropped out of school and moved to London in an effort to establish himself in the music business. But success wasn’t guaranteed. He played more than 300 shows in a year, sometimes sleeping outside or on strangers’ floors because he had nowhere else to go.

Then, everything changed in 2010.

Jamie Foxx, an unlikely fan, took notice after he uploaded an honest, passionate song to the internet. The legendary figure in Hollywood invited him to Los Angeles, where he was given housing and given permission to record in his studio. Soon after, a self-released EP called the No. 5 Collaborations Project started to become well-known. One of the songs reached number two on iTunes without a record deal. The industry was compelled to take notice.

The world was immediately captivated by his soul-stirring voice and moving lyrics when his debut album, plus (Plus), was released in 2011. He became well-known thanks to songs like “Lego House” and “The A Team.” But that was just the beginning.

By 2014, he was selling out stadiums, collaborating with artists like Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, and Eminem, and putting out hit after hit. His album x (Multiply), which included the generational wedding song “Thinking Out Loud,” made him a global celebrity.

Then came ÷ (Divide) in 2017, which featured “Shape of You,” one of the best songs ever. It topped charts in 34 countries, became the most-streamed song on Spotify for years, and cemented his status as one of the greatest-selling musicians of all time.

The young performer who once played for pennies on the streets of London became a Grammy-winning, stadium-filling, number-one star. His name is Ed Sheeran.