The First Song Certified 10x Platinum in the UK

Ed Sheeran's “Shape Of You” has become the first song in HISTORY to be certified 10x platinum in the UK, the news was shared this Friday (4) by the BRIT Awards on its official Twitter profile.

'Shape of You', the single by @Ed Sheeranis now #BRITcertified 10x Platinum pic.twitter.com/KAmHkdIAHM

— BRIT Awards (@BRITs) August 4, 2023

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_{Official post from the BRIT Awards. (Photo: Reproduction/Twitter/@BRITs)}

The song “Shape of You” by English singer Ed Sheeran was the most listened to track on the online streaming platform Spotify until 2021 with more than 3 billion streams. And in 2017 it was the most searched song on the music search app Shazam.

The song “Shape Of You” became the first song to reach 3 billion views on Spotify in history. At the time, to celebrate the achievement, the platform made a video with the singer to celebrate the achievement. Ed shared with fans what it was like to write the single and how he felt “When I finished the song, Ben Cook from my record label said it had to be a single – but I wanted ‘Castle on the Hill’ to be the single. We ended up releasing both songs at the same time and… I was wrong.”, confessing that the song almost didn’t make it onto the Divide album.

Ed had already reached the 1 billion mark other times, but had rarely surpassed the 2 billion mark, singles like “Perfect” and “Thinking Out Loud”, together reached the 1.9 billion plays mark at the time.

The Single

The track was recorded for the singer's third studio album, 2017's Divide (÷). The song was written and produced by Steve Mac and Ed Sheeran, with Johnny McDaid also writing. In 2017, the single was certified 5x Platinum.

According to the BPI, which represents the UK music industry, when adding streams and downloads, the single's sales result was more than three million.

In its year of release, the song spent 14 weeks at the top of the official singles chart, streamed 224 million times and downloaded more than 760,000 times since the day of its release, which was January 6, 2017, reaching 7x Platinum certification in the same year.

At the time, BPI director Gennaro Castaldo commented on the song:

“The song became an anthem for a generation and an instant classic that will surely remain a staple of streaming playlists and best of album compilations for years to come.”

_{Single “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran. (Video: Reproduction/YouTube/Ed Sheeran)}

Curiosities

At the time, Steve Mac, Sheeran's music producer partner, spoke in an interview about the process of creating Shape of You. In the interview, Mac spoke about both the production of the song, which he said took 90 minutes, and about the experience of working with the British singer.

Remember Steve Mac's words about his work with Ed Sheeran on “Shape of You”:

“Ed is one of the best writers I’ve worked with,” Steve told Newsbeat. “He has a brilliant flow, the way he creates his rap and then adds a melody to it.”

In the year the single was released Steve was awarded with American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Founders Award (ASCAP) for his contribution to music. The songwriter commented that Shape of You changed his life and described Ed as “extraordinary”. In addition, he shared with fans that just having Sheeran in the composition already made a difference: “Ninety minutes seems fast, but that’s 27 years of making music and understanding what not to do in music, as opposed to what to do. Plus, the fact that it was Ed Sheeran helps.”

_{Divide ÷ Album Playlist. (Photo: Reproduction/Global Groove)}

The disk

The album has 12 tracks, they are:

1. “Eraser”

2. “Castle on the Hill”

3. “Dive”

4. “Shape of You”

5. “Perfect”

6. “Galway Girl”

7. “Happier”

8. “New Man”

9. “Hearts Don't Break Around Here”

10. “What Do I Know?”

11. “How Would You Feel (Paean)”

12. “Supermarket Flowers”

The album is available on all digital platforms.

Featured Photo: Shape of You receives 10x Platinum certification. Credit: Genius