In a letter emailed to fans on Friday (May 22), Ed Sheeran detailed his reasons for leaving his record label.
Ed Sheeran at Deadline Spotlight: Anatomy of a Song - "F1" held at The Motoring Club on Jan. 9, 2026, in Los Angeles.
Earl Gibson III/Deadline
Ed Sheeran announced to fans on Friday (May 22) that he’s left the Warner Music Group after spending 15 years at the record label in a letter via his email list. In his statement, which was also shared with Music Week and obtained by Billboard, Sheeran said there was no animosity at leaving the only record company he has worked with across his career so far, saying he exits with “SO much love and gratitude for everything we have achieved together.”
Sheeran leaves as one of the most successful artists of the past 15 years, having landed eight top five albums on the Billboard 200, including four No. 1s, and 60 songs on the Hot 100, including nine top 10s and two No. 1s. Sheeran’s single “Shape of You” sat atop the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks in 2017, ultimately spending 59 weeks on the chart, while his single “Perfect” also reached No. 1 on the Hot 100. His 2017 album ÷ (Divide) spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 when it debuted in 2017. His other No. 1 albums include 2014’s x, 2019’s No. 6 Collaborations Project and 2021’s =. According to Luminate, Sheeran has racked up 25.9 million equivalent album unites in the United States since his 2011 debut, including more than 32 billion streams and 5.8 million album sales.
