Ed Sheeran is about to head out on his first ever headlining tour around the United States. I had the privilege of getting the chance to talk with Ed to see what he is looking forward to and what he has in store for after this tour!

Hailey Sager: Hi Ed.
Ed Sheeran: Hi Hailey, how are you?

HS: I'm great, how are you?
ES: Very good, thank you.

HS: Will you please tell us about yourself and how you got discovered?
ES: I am a 21 year old singer/songwriter from the United Kingdom, and I got discovered from doing lots and lots of live shows and independent releases.

HS: Is there any special meaning behind the guitar you are often seen with in your live performances? And what is the story behind your signature paw print?
ES: The story behind the paw print is just a symbol I like to use on my stuff. But I've been using the same guitar since I've kind of started. It's quite young but it looks quite old.

HS: This year alone you have performed in front of the Queen and in front of the world at the Olympics. Do you think about it like it’s any other performance or is there something completely different going through your mind?
ES: I've been honored to be able to play those kind of events, but if I think too much about them I'll get too nervous. So I just kind of like go into and play the song. I'll look back at it later and draw on myself that it's quite a big deal.

HS: I only watched it on TV I can't imagine what it must have felt like to be experiencing that in person.
ES: Ah thank you very much.

HS: You’ve been huge in the UK for so long, what does it feel like to basically have to start from scratch to gain new listeners in other countries?
ES: It's great, I just have to remind myself that it's very fun to start again and play all the small venues and build up a fan base. I really like doing that and going to countries that I'm not known and playing all the small venues and working my way up.

HS: You are about to embark on your first ever US headlining tour. How does it feel to have so many shows selling out and bumping up to bigger venues and still selling out?
ES: I'm building up the fan base in America slowly, but surely! I just can't wait to keep coming back. I will be coming back a lot over the next sort of year.

HS: Yeah, you were suppose to play at the venue I work at, it sold out and moved to House of Blues and sold out again. I'm really happy for you!
ES: Thank you so much! That is really cool to hear.

HS: ‘Small Bump’ is such a powerful song, what made you choose that to be your next single?
ES: I just thought, you know, I've had my hits, I've done the hit singles so now it's time for me to release something with a little bit more meaning to it than a song like 'Drunk.'

HS: When you’re writing or working on a song what is your process like? Do you start with your lyrics first or do you find the melody first?
ES: Usually the lyrics come first then I find the melody.

HS: Is that method completely different when you are collaborating?
ES: Yeah sometimes, I mean usually when I start collaborating with other people usually the music comes first.

HS: How do you make the decision to give a song to someone else that you’ve written or keep it for yourself?
ES: If the song doesn't fit on my records then you know I guess it's up for grabs.  

HS: A lot of listeners seem to have the wrong idea of what One Direction’s "Moments" is about, since you wrote it, would you like to set the record straight on what it is about?
ES: It's about my ex girlfriend, that's it.

HS:  Is there anything else you would like new and old listeners to know before we say goodbye?
ES: The album's out and I'm going to be touring quite a lot and I hope you enjoy the record!

HS: Thank you so much for talking with us at Musiqtone! Have a good day!
ES: Thank you very much! Cheers!