As tickets for Ed Sheeran's 2022 UK tour go on sale, fans have some rather obscure questions about the artist; like how many tattoos does he have, and what do they all mean?
Like Tom Hardy and his tattoos, Ed Sheeran gets them to mark a significant moment or person (or evidently, TV show) in his life.
His tattooist, Kevin Paul, who's also inked the likes of Rihanna, spoke to GQ magazine in 2020 and revealed the meanings behind some of the musician's best inkings - some of which match Harry Styles'.
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"Everything that Ed has had done is a bit odd to most people," Paul told the publication.
"A lot of people mock his tattoos, especially on his front, but what they don't realise is that Damien Hirst himself has designed quite a few of them. He's had a few on his upper back designed by him too."
Lion tattoo
As the so-called most famous tattoo in the World, we had to start with this lion's head Ed has inked on his chest. He got it to celebrate selling out at Wembley - of course, that's to be expected of Ed Sheeran concerts now.
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"I was offered £300,000 by a big company for the rights to the artwork afterwards, which I turned down. Now, I'm in talks with a big museum for it to be part of an exhibition on modern history," Paul told GQ.
"According to reports it's the most famous tattoo in the world and when he got it, I was told it had three times the amount of press coverage as any other tattoo in recent times," he added.
Orca whale tattoo
In July 2021, Ed unveiled his weirdest tattoo yet, which is dedicated to his daughter, Lyra, who was born in August 2020.
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Apparently, Lyra was conceived while Ed and his wife Cherry were on a getaway in Antarctica (which is also why Lyra has 'Antarctica' in her name). To remember this special moment, Ed had a huge Orca whale tattooed onto his inner left bicep.
Speaking to The Sun about the new inking, the 'Bad Habits' artist said: "I am completely covered in the weirdest, most colourful tattoos and that is the thing no one can get their head around, apart from my wife.
"Everyone says I look like a melted crayon.
"But I love them. I love that any time something random happens, I put it on my body."
Heinz tomato ketchup tattoo
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Ed was missing tomato ketchup while on tour in the US once, so he had a bottle inked on his arm.
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The tattoo subsequently turned into a big partnership with Heinz; limited edition Ed Sheeran X Heinz ketchup bottles were made and sold for charity.
Mother and child tattoo
Ed's mother and child portrait on his right arm is based on Henry Matisse's famous painting.
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It's also his mother's favourite piece of artwork and Ed apparently bought her a copy of it with his first paycheck.
Galway 'grill' tattoo
This one's pretty obvious, but yes, Ed has "Galway Grill" written on him, which apparently was an intentional spelling mistake.
It was designed and tattooed on him by Little Women actress Saoirse Ronan, who featured in the music video to 'Galway Girl'.
She told GQ that they thought it would be "funny" and "edgy" to spell 'girl' wrong.
Jigsaw puzzle tattoo
Now, this one's rather sweet. Ed got all of the people closest to him to have this tattoo as a sign of their friendship.
You can see the jigsaw on his left arm.
'Prince' tattoo
Ed has the word 'Prince' written on his lower left bicep in bright green ink. It's not an ode to the Royal Family, or even a nod to the musical legend Prince. It's actually a reference to Ed's favourite TV show - The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
"The prince tattoo was done in the States, purely because he is a massive The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air fan," Paul told GQ. "He got 'Prince' and his mate, who was in Rizzle Kicks, got 'Fresh'."
Boxing gloves tattoo
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Ed has three small red boxing gloves inked on his right forearm, which are apparently a reference to his Irish side of the family. The singer has also got the Irish flag in the shape of a shamrock near to this tattoo.
Pingu tattoo
Nothing spells bromance like this next tattoo in Ed Sheeran's collection of inks.
Ed's Pingu tattoo came as a result of going out on the lash with Harry Styles and then deciding to get matching tattoos of their favourite childhood TV character, according to Sheeran's tattooist.
"The Pingu tattoo happened because he and Styles went out, got p****d and were talking about their favourite cartoons as kids and they both said Pingu, so I inked a penguin on each of them one Sunday morning," Paul explained to GQ. "We did both Styles' '17 Black' and the Pingu tattoos on the same day."
Rings on back tattoo
One of Ed's latest tattoos is an ode to his wife and their future family.
In 2020, Ed revealed five rings he's had added to his back, which is a symbol of his wife, Cherry Seaborn, and their growing family.
According to Paul, Ed is a family man at heart and has always spoken openly about his ambition to settle down and have children.
Ed also has a family tree inked on his right bicep, which is also believed to be a symbol of how much family means to him.
Teddy bear tattoo
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Again, on his right bicep, sits a little Teddy bear tattoo which is reportedly symbolic of his childhood nickname 'Teddy.'
Kool Guy tattoo
The Kool Guy tattoo is another design which resulted from teaming up with a fellow celebrity.
According to Net Luxury, this tat just below his Teddy cartoon was designed by John Meyer, who was guest co-hosting The Late Late Show with him in 2015.
Ed and John decided to design tattoos for each other, which they would then reveal live on the show.
While Ed unveiled some simple script pointing up to his 'Teddy,' Mayer got a cat's face that could have come straight out of an elementary school notebook.
Obviously, these are just some of the artist's most-famous tattoos, while others are said to be the result of drunken escapades.
When is Ed Sheeran's 2022 UK tour?
Ed Sheeren's UK 'Divided' tour starts in May 2022. Tickets go on sale on Saturday 25th September 2021.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@teddysphotosTopics: Music, Tattoo, Ed Sheeran