Ed Sheeran – talented singer, songwriter, rapper, and even actor. But can he add dancing to his list of talents?
Ed Sheeran learned to dance in 2014 for the music video to his song, Thinking Out Loud. Ed trained for 5 hours a day to prepare for the shoot, which he described as “really tough”. Surprisingly, Ed enjoyed the experience and wouldn’t rule out participating in a reality TV show such as Dancing With The Starsin the future.
In the past, Ed Sheeran has described himself as having “two left feet” so what made him decide it was time to learn to dance? Couldn’t he hire a lookalike or body double to star in the music video? Keep reading to find out more!
Thinking Out Loud
Thinking Out Loud is the third single from Ed Sheeran’s second studio album, X (2014). Unlike prior singles ‘Sing’and ‘You Need Me, I Don’t Need You’, Thinking Out Loud is a stripped-down, laidback romantic ballad.
With lyrics such as: “When my hair’s all but gone and my memory fades, And the crowds don’t remember my name”, Ed is talking about everlasting love. It’s assumed that the song was written about Ed’s then-girlfriend, Athina Andrelos.
So it makes sense why Ed decided to maintain this romantic imagery in the song’s music video. In a behind the scenes clip from the video shoot, Ed revealed:
“My original idea for the video was to just have an empty ballroom and have a couple walk into the ballroom and just start mad ballroom dancing. And then as the idea kind of formed I thought I’d get two talented dancers to do it. And then I thought ‘hmm maybe I should have a crack at it – if rugby players can do it on Strictly Come Dancing maybe I could do it’”.
And that’s exactly what he did. The video was shot in the Crystal Ballroom at Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California. Designed in 1927, it is undoubtedly a stunning location with features such as marble columns, Austrian crystal chandeliers, and hand-painted scenery.
As for the choreography, Ed partnered up with Nappytabs a.k.a Napoleon and Tabatha D’umo. In the past they’ve worked with the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé, so Ed really went for the cream of the crop.
It took Sheeran several weeks of practicing for 5 hours a day to master the routine. Looking back on that period, Ed describes it as one of the hardest things he’s ever done:
“And when it started to get really tough, that part of me started kicking in. Like why am I doing this? I should be focusing on the concert I’m playing tonight rather than busting my balls to make sure this video works”
Luckily, Ed didn’t give up and eventually shot the music video in one solid take. For the video, Sheeran partnered up with Brittany Cherry, who is known for starring on season 10 of So You Think You Can Dance.
“It surprised me how much I enjoy it, yeah. When you get the hang of it dancing is like the most fun thing in the world when you know what to do.”, Ed disclosed in the behind-the-scenes video.
Ed’s persistence certainly paid off! The video broke records as one of the most popular music videos of all time and has now garnered over 3 billion views. As for the song itself, Thinking Out Loud was awarded diamond status in 2017 after it surpassed sales of 10 million. It’s one of only 15 songs to be given the acclamation since the certification was created 20 years ago.
Retirement?
Is that it for Ed Sheeran? Will we ever see him dance again?
In an interview with The Morning Mess on Live 101.5, Ed revealed that he would be open to starring in a dance-related TV show in the future.
“We have it in England it’s called Strictly Come Dancing. I think I’d rather do it in England cos […] my Mum and Dad watch that show”, he told Joey Boy, Natasha, and Aneesh.