Divan osvrt!Želi ti naprava karijere poput Edove.
If you asked me what music I listen to, you'd get all sorts of answers, but one thing I probably wouldn't say is that I listen to Ed Sheeran. Until recently, I only knew about three of his songs, and those were the most popular ones. "Perfect" because couples always chose it as the soundtrack for their big moments, and "Thinking Out Loud" through funny clips joking about Ed being 70 years old and leaving his love ("And darling, I will be loving you 'till we're 70"). Honestly, my main interaction with his work was listening to the cover "The molecular Shape of You" while studying electron shells in college.
So how did I even end up at his concert?
I received the tickets as a Christmas gift from my boyfriend, who is a musician. He has been listening to Ed since the very beginning, even before he became famous. It had been his long-time dream to attend one of Ed's concerts, so we could now make it happen together. We started listening to Ed’s albums in the car so I could get to know more of his songs before the concert. Thanks to the traffic jams on our way home from a summer trip, we had plenty of time to do so.
AT THE CONCERT
I watch this ginger-haired man with a modest smile, holding a guitar, as he addresses the crowd surrounding him. He talks about the early days of his music: closing his eyes and seeing lonely performances within his own four walls years ago, his younger self playing in the corner of a café for three people who were there for coffee, and he believed his background music probably just irritated them. He opens his eyes to see 70,000 people in front of him. Countless phone lights resemble a starry sky around the stage, lights that signal his art had touched the hearts of many. So many people gathered just in Zagreb, and this entire music tour is supposed to include 144 performances around the world.
I thought about young Ed, who would have been thrilled to know how far his music would reach; but he didn’t know that. He might have wondered if anyone would ever hear his songs. I thought about myself, about the countless hours spent with pencils and crayons, trying to translate my ideas onto paper, and about a drawer full of drawings that no one but me has ever seen. I thought about the beautiful, creative people with whom I have the privilege to share this life. Some of them draw, some create music, write poems, or books. I thought about all those who work in silence for something they love. About crumpled papers, discarded songs, erased characters, and the long, hard, but outwardly invisible work. None of them know if anyone will ever read, see, hear, or take an interest in their work. They don't know, but they keep doing it anyway.
Ed found his people through work, through music, through the love woven into his art that kept it going when, on the surface, there might have seemed to be no purpose. Ed smiles on stage and talks about how his loved ones encouraged him to find a hobby, to take a break and relax from concerts and music. But for him, music and writing have always been a hobby, which eventually became his job. Now, he does it in both his working hours and his spare time. He says how he used to sing to himself in his room—and that’s what he would still do if things had turned out differently—because he loves it. In that sentence, I see the authenticity of his work. He created and continues to create regardless of outcome or reward—out of love.
His simplicity, honesty, and energy on stage completely captivated me, me who had never even listened to him. I now understand why all these people are here and why he won them over. And I am grateful that I had the opportunity to hear his music, words, and story. Despite his global fame, I saw in him the reflection of every creative soul who might wonder if what they do has a meaning. It does.
Thank you for reading,
Laura
Thank you for reading,
Laura