Ed Sheeran Goes Top 10 With "Don't"; The RIAA-Certified Gold Single Earns the Acclaimed Singer-Songwriter the Highest U.S. Charting of His Career on Billboard's "Hot 100"

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Oct 23, 2014) - Atlantic recording artist and 3x-GRAMMY nominee Ed Sheeran's latest single "Don't" has entered the Top 10 on the Billboard "Hot 100" at #10, earning the acclaimed British singer-songwriter the highest U.S. charting single of his career thus far. "Don't" -- which also marks Sheeran's first top 10 single in the country -- is the second single off of his current album "x" (pronounced multiply), which entered the Billboard 200 at #1 upon its release in June and has been RIAA-certified Gold. "Sing" -- the Platinum certified, lead single off of "x" -- was the 23-year old's previous high on the "Hot 100," peaking at #13 this past summer, while his GRAMMY-nominated, breakout single, "The A Team," peaked at #16 last year.

First unveiled as part of Sheeran's memorable appearance on NBC's Saturday Night Live, "Don't" shot to #1 on the US iTunes Overall Singles chart upon its release and has since been RIAA-certified Gold, with sales exceeding 500,000 units. Co-produced by Rick Rubin and Benny Blanco, "Don't" is currently #7 at CHR/Pop and #4 at Hot AC radio outlets nationwide. The companion video for "Don't" -- directed by longtime collaborator Emil Nava, who was also responsible for the MTV VMA-award winning video for "Sing" -- has logged over 18 million views and can be seen here -- http://youtu.be/iD2rhdFRehU.

Sheeran recently premiered the companion music video for "Thinking Out Loud" -- a fan favorite here in the U.S. and the latest single abroad -- and, in just over two weeks, has already amassed over 14 million views (http://youtu.be/lp-EO5I60KA). The beautifully-shot clip -- again, directed by Nava - features Sheeran ballroom dancing, a skill he learned through intensive, five-hour training sessions over the course of ten days during the North American leg of his worldwide arena tour last month. Sheeran is currently in the midst of the UK leg of the tour, which includes four sold-out nights at London's O2 Arena.

Blending soulful vocals with organic folk introspection and irresistible hip-hop hooks, Ed Sheeran is a genuine global phenomenon. The 23-year-old British singer-songwriter's acclaimed new album "x" (pronounced multiply) has gone to #1 in 14 countries around the world, including the United States and Sheeran's native United Kingdom, where it's the country's biggest selling album of the year. "x" finds the 3x-GRAMMY nominee collaborating with a stellar list of producers, including multiple GRAMMY Award®-winners Pharrell Williams, Rick Rubin and Jeff Bhasker, multiple GRAMMY Award®-nominee Benny Blanco, Snow Patrol's Johnny McDaid, and BRIT-Award nominee and longtime collaborator Jake Gosling. The album has earned Sheeran a remarkable amount of rapturous press attention, including cover stories in Billboard and Parade, as well as major feature profiles in Entertainment Weekly, Time, and the cover of the New York Times' Sunday Arts & Leisure section. Moreover, "x" has drawn critical applause from all corners, with USA Today hailing it in a four-and-a-half-starred rave as "the rare album that satisfies expectations while simultaneously raising them... As good as Sheeran was before, he's even better now." "Mr. Sheeran is a gifted singer with a tender tone and a naturalistic way with storytelling," declared the New York Times, adding, "Though he may well be the most prominent folk-minded singer in contemporary pop, he's an open-eared experimenter at core, and saddled with none of the modesty, false or otherwise, that typically go with the folkie role." "(Sheeran) is a polyglot," noted Time, "raised on folk, R&B, hip-hop and rock in equal measure and comfortable incorporating each of those genres into his compositions."

Sheeran's 2012 breakthrough debut album, "+," entered the UK Albums Chart at #1 with the highest opening sales figures for a debut male solo artist ever and is now certified 6x-platinum. Fueled by international hit singles like "The A Team" and "Lego House," "+" has enjoyed multi-platinum, platinum, and gold sales in nine countries around the world. Here in the US, "The A Team" proved a blockbuster, earning 2x-platinum certification from the RIAA as well as a GRAMMY® Award nomination as "Song Of The Year." Sheeran also made a record-breaking chart debut with the stateside release of "+," which entered the SoundScan/Billboard 200 at #5, becoming the highest debut for a U.K. solo artist's first full-length album, since 2009. Along with his three GRAMMY® nods -- including the prestigious "Best New Artist" -- Sheeran has accrued an array of distinguished international honors, spanning two BRIT Awards ("Best Male Artist," "Best Breakthrough Artist") and the 2012 Ivor Novello Award for "Best Song Musically and Lyrically."

Long acclaimed as a captivating and creative live performer, Sheeran spent much of the past two years traversing North America on back-to-back sold-out headline tours, the latter of which including a stop at the renowned Radio City Music Hall that sold out in a matter of minutes. Following a main support role on Taylor Swift's massively successful "RED Tour," Sheeran returned to New York City for a trio of sold-out headline shows at the legendary Madison Square Garden to close out his incredible 2013.

Sheeran's honest songwriting and incredible live show has also connected with millions through the small screen with countless high profile television appearances including the 55^th Annual GRAMMY® Awards (performing "The A Team" accompanied by Sir Elton John), the closing ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, NBC's The Voice (as one of Team Christina's mentors) and Today (where he pulled in one of last summer's largest audiences into NYC's Rockefeller Plaza for the show's annual outdoor concert series), and as the youngest performer among the star-studded lineup on CBS' special "The Beatles: The Night That Changed America - A GRAMMY® Salute."

For additional news and information, please see www.edsheeran.com, www.twitter.com/EdSheeran (@EdSheeran), www.facebook.com/EdSheeranMusic and www.atlanticrecords.com. For press materials, please see http://press.atlanticrecords.com/ed-sheeran.