Is Ed Sheeran Going Country?

Ed Sheeran has just been announced to perform at this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM Awards), leading us to ponder: could the Shape Of You hitmaker have a country phase in his headlights?

Sheeran’s appearance at the ACM Awards was announced overnight following his appearance on Good Morning America, where he spoke about his recent victory in a landmark copyright trial. In a video shared to social media, the West Yorkshire songwriter said he was “really excited to be at the Academy of Country Music Awards this week”.

In true Ed Sheeran style, too, he led the announcement with a bit of a quip, joking, “Who said the Brits don’t have a little bit of country in them?”

He continued: “This is the first time that I’ll be performing [at the ACM Awards] and I am super pumped about it, and I hope to see you there.”

Who said the Brits don’t have a little bit of Country in them?

✨GET READY ✨ for a very special @edsheeran performance LIVE from the #ACMawards

FREE to stream this THURSDAY, May 11 on @PrimeVideo 🤠 🇬🇧 https://t.co/zbdJDObfEZ pic.twitter.com/Z8e9NG5szm

— ACM Awards (@ACMawards) May 9, 2023

This year’s ACM Awards will mark the 58th edition, with the ceremony being held tomorrow (May 11) at the Ford Center inside The Star in Frisco, Texas. The news of Sheeran’s appearance comes in tandem with the news that Morgan Wallen will not be performing as scheduled; earlier today, he announced he’s been forced to cancel six weeks of tour dates due to vocal cord trauma.

Also due to perform at tomorrow’s event will be Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Jo Dee Messina, Ashley McBryde, Dolly Parton, Jelly Roll, Cole Swindell, Keith Urban, The War And Treaty, Lainey Wilson, and Bailey Zimmerman.

This isn’t the first time Sheeran’s dipped his toes into the country world. Back in 2021, he appeared alongside Keith Urban on a twangy song by Amy Shark called Love Songs Ain’t For Us – and just last year, he joined Luke Combs in London for a scorching country flip of his song Dive at the C2C Festival in London.

Sheeran released his fifth studio album, – (pronounced as “subtract”), just last week. TheMusic gave it a middling review, with David James Young writing: “In spite of some bright spots and even some career highlights across the album, Sheeran is clearly too caught up in stadium-filling maximalism to create his own folklore.”

Also last week, Sheeran released his Disney+ documentary The Sum Of It All. In a statement shared upon its announcement, Ayo Davis (president of Disney Branded Television) said of the four-part series: “We’re going to reveal a side of Ed Sheeran that fans have never seen before. Together with Fulwell 73, we’ve created something truly authentic and personal that will not only entertain audiences but also inspire them to dream big and pursue their passions.”