Ed Sheeran’s recent hit single, “Bad Habits“, has been announced as the top song in the UK this year. Sheeran’s feat was announced by Will Manning on The Official Big Top 40: Chart of the Year, with runner-ups including Adele’s own hit single “Easy On Me“ and another Sheeran track, “Shivers“. Some of the other artists that featured near the top include Elton John and Dua Lipa, with their collaborative hit “Cold Heart“, The Weeknd with his song “Take My Breath“, and Coldplay’s hit song “Higher Power“ from their latest album Music of the Spheres. If you want to see the full top 40 list for the end of the year, you can look here.
Sheeran’s had a very good year, with “Bad Habits“ being only one of five number 1 singles he’s had recently, and his name appearing on the top 40 list a total of six times. The song was released last Summer on 25th June as the lead single from his recent hit album =, reaching number 1 in various countries the world over, such as Australia, Germany and South Africa.
The song peaked at number 1 in the UK and Ireland for 11 consecutive weeks, achieving a staying power in Ireland that had not been seen since 2018’s Drake hit, “God’s Plan“. The song also picked up some awards whilst it was making the rounds through the charts, winning Best International Song and Video at the LOS40 Music Awards, as well as Best Song in the MTV Europe Music Awards.
The song was apparently written last January in an attempt to surprise Sheeran’s audience, making “something that was totally different” from his usual material. It very nearly wasn’t going to be =’s lead single, but due to Covid restrictions being lifted, Sheeran scrapped what would have been a sombre acoustic song for something with a bit more optimism. The music video, directed by Dave Meyers and filmed in South East London, has around 270 million views on YouTube at this time and shows Sheeran playing a vampire-like character, inspired by hit US show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
This isn’t the only reason Sheeran’s amazing success has had him in the news the past few weeks. His 2017 hit “Shape of You“ recently became the first Spotify song to pass 3 billion streams, more of which you can read about here. He’s also recently been given a total of four nominations at next year’s BRIT Awards. However, Sheeran has been keen on using his prestige to help others, raising over £50 grand at a charity raffle recently.
