Ed Sheeran is officially joining The Voice season 21 as the show's mega mentor during the Knockouts. Previously, NBC announced that four celebrity guests would each work specifically with one of the coaches to help mentor their teams during the Battle Rounds. Jason Aldean was assigned to Team Kelly, Kristin Chenoweth to Team Ariana, Camila Cabello to Team Legend, and Dierks Bentley to Team Blake. The mega mentor, however, works with all four of the coaches.
Fellow pop singers Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and Rihanna are just a few of the show's past mega mentors that have helped coaches during the Knockouts. During these rounds, coaches pair two of their artists against each other. They both get to individually perform a song of their choice, and the coach chooses the performance they like better. The winner moves on to the Live Playoffs, and the other artist is eliminated from the competition.
Now Ed, who guest starred on Game of Thrones, has agreed to take on the responsibility of coaching the show's artists. Ed posted the news to his own Twitter account, @edsheeran, along with pictures of him and The Voice coaches Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande, John Legend and Blake Shelton. According to ET, Ed will be helping the coaches guide their teams through the Knockouts before they move on to the fan-voted live shows. The Knockouts begin airing October 25, after the conclusion of the Battle Rounds.
Ed achieved international success in 2011 with his debut single, "The A Team," and later went on to work with and open up for Taylor Swift during her 2013 Red Tour. Ed is set to release his fourth solo studio album, = (pronounced "equals"), later this month. His latest single, "Shivers," peaked at #14 on Billboard's Hot 100 charts. He has won four Grammys, including Best Pop Vocal Album for his 2015 EP ÷ (pronounced "divide"). In 2017, Ed, who recreated Ross and Monica's Friends dance, was awarded the David Starlight Award at the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.
With all his experience in the music industry, Ed is a perfect fit to be the mega mentor on The Voice. His career spans over 10 years, and he's collaborated with vocal powerhouses like Beyoncé, making him more than qualified for the show. Ed also recorded an unreleased song with Ariana called "No Love For The Lonely," meant for Ed's collaboration album No. 6 Collaborations Project. However, the song didn't make the final cut of the album. Fellow coach Kelly has also covered Ed's music on her talk show and has expressed her love for his music in the past. Hopefully, Ed's connection to his fellow Voice coaches will strengthen his ability to guide the show's artists.
The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8pm on NBC.
Sources: Ed Sheeran/Twitter, ET