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It’s a testament to Ed Sheeran‘s talent as a live performer that he doesn’t have a backup band, dancers or costumes, yet he’s able to sell out stadiums around the world. But Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx says he’s always known how great Ed is live, because when he was still an unknown, Foxx saw him win over a room that couldn’t have been less welcoming.
On the season finale of BBC America’s Graham Norton Show, airing July 1, Foxx talks about how he let Ed sleep on his couch for six weeks when the British singer was first starting out. He says he thought Ed’s songs were great, but he wanted to see if he could cut it as a performer, so he put him through a trial by fire.
“I took him down to this show that I was doing, a live night, every Monday in downtown L.A.,” Foxx tells Norton. “It was like, 800 black people! All black, like, just the best musicians…I mean, the level of the music is here. And I say, ‘Ladies and gentleman, Ed Sheeran!’ and he pops out [with his little red hair]…and a ukulele!”
At that point, Foxx says, a pal asked him if had lost his mind.
“He said, ‘Yo, Foxx, c’mon man, what’s this? What you doin’ to the room right now? You gotta respect the room!'” laughs Jamie. “And it was just like a movie. I said, ‘Well, let’s see what the kid has.'”
“And he went out there on the ukulele, got a standing ovation in 12 minutes,” Foxx adds. “And the rest was history!”
Ed proved his skills as a performer again last night, headlining the U.K.’s premiere music festival, Glastonbury.
In case Jamie missed the show, he might want to know that Ed trotted out two classic soul covers — Stevie Wonder‘s “Superstition” and Bill Withers‘ “Ain’t No Sunshine,” reports The Daily Mirror.
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