We’re in love with The Shape Of You, Ed

SYDNEY — British singer Ed Sheeran may be a bona fide superstar, with Brit and Grammy awards to his name. But backstage at a recent Sydney gig, the 26-year-old was down-to-earth when meeting fans.

The Castle on the Hill and Shape of You singer slipped into the room so quietly that you might have missed him.

Dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, he said an unassuming “Hello” to the room filled with about fans, members of the media and record company executives from Singapore and New Zealand.

Meeting him, he looks into your eyes directly. “Are you from Singapore too?” he asked this reporter warmly.

He gave a glimpse into what he does after gigs: head to the pub. “I’m going to go for a few beers,” he said candidly. But he added that he was doing a morning show on television the next day, and had to take it easy.

Yes, the man has a way with people — a skill undoubtedly learnt from times when he was a busker before he was famous.

Sheeran, who plays his second Singapore show in Nov later this year, was careful to make chit-chat with each person he met. And when taking pictures, he was not averse to people taking the chance to get close, almost snuggling into the guy who has turned out beautiful, mushy hits like Lego House (2011), Give Me Love (2012) and Photograph (2015).

(Above: Ed Sheeran does not mind cozying up to fans such as reporter Balvinder Sandhu. Photo: Balvinder Sandhu)

It is nice to know that Sheeran is nice to even mere mortals. Perhaps it is not surprise — everyone from his BFF Taylor Swift to Elton John have waxed lyrical about what a lovely guy he is.

There was even the story of how he helped his childhood friend, Amy Wadge, clear her debts by giving her co-writer credit on his monster hit, Thinking Out Loud. She had asked him to put a song they wrote when they were younger on an album.

Onstage in Sydeny, Sheeran did not disappoint. He performed with just his guitar — he has no need for any backing band, cheesy dancers or distracting set decor. A loop pedal was the only equipment he used and yet the sounds he created were as good as — and sometimes even better than — how he sounds on his three massive albums.

The man who has moved from busking (where he sometimes slept on the streets of London, inspiring his song Homeless), to gigging in tiny pub gigs, and now selling out massive venues like the Wembley Stadium (2015) in the space of just a few years.

It’s no wonder why. There are no fancy costumes or rockstar attitudes with Sheeran — just a beautiful voice and brilliant songwriting. And, above all, the manner of a guinely nice guy.

See you in Singapore, Ed.

Catch Ed Sheeran at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on November 11. Tickets are priced from S$108 to S$248, available from Sports Hub Tix (www.sportshubtix.com).