By Armando

Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” has just been certified diamond in the US, which signify sales and streams of at least 10 million, Billboard reports Friday.

Written by the English singer-songwriter himself together with Amy Wadge, the song was release in September 2014 as the third single from his “×” (Multiply) album.

What makes the feat even more impressive is the fact that the song never made it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song peaked at number two for eight consecutive weeks, blocked by “Uptown Funk” from reaching the summit.

“Thinking Out Loud” later won Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance, while also receiving nomination for Record of the Year, the former two being the singer’s first Grammy wins.

Sheeran shared the news to his official instagram page (below): “Thinking out loud is diamond in the US. Thank you to everyone who streamed or downloaded it x.”

This accomplishment puts the romantic ballad in rarefied company: since the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) implemented Diamond certification, only 14 other songs have achieved it.

As impressive the accolade is, this likely won’t be Sheeran’s last. Earlier this year, the singer released “Shape of You” which seem destined to top Billboard’s Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2017: as of August 2017, the single has sold 2.3 million copies and spent 32 weeks at the top 10, a record it shares with The Chainsmokers’ “Closer” and LeAnn Rimes’ “How Do I Live.”

“Shape of You” is from Sheeran’s third studio album ÷ (Divide), also in the running for biggest-selling album of the year. If Sheeran successfully accomplish both feats, he will be the first artist since Adele to top both single and album year-end charts with “Rolling in the Deep” and “21” respectively back in 2011.

 

Thinking out loud is diamond in the US. Thank you to everyone who streamed or downloaded it x

A post shared by Ed Sheeran (@teddysphotos) on Oct 27, 2017 at 7:01am PDT

By Niy Birden

When they first stepped onto the scene, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis were quite an interesting combo: DJ/producer/photographer meets a rapper, both from Washington with an interest in hip hop. They curated a close-knit audience soon after with their first two EPs, The VS. and The VS. Redux, and sealed in the deal with their chart-topping hits such as “Can’t Hold Us”, “Thrift Shop”, and “Same Love”, all to be included on their debut album The Heist.

With their first bit of discography, aside from being an obviously white male duo, they had gained a lot of recognition for their massive success as indie artists. This is an especially noteworthy part of their career, considering their influence with The Grammys and other mainstream music platforms.

With their second album they started to show a reputation for making viral videos, but suddenly, as of earlier this summer they have since gone on a hiatus, which of course caused a major shock to their loyal fanbase. But separation seems to have been a quite amazing thing for the both of them, with Lewis snatching himself another hit for his work on Kesha’s comeback hit “Praying”, and Macklemore having lined up pop and new R&B hitmakers with his sophomore album Gemini.

So what does Macklemore (real name Benjamin Haggerty) sound like without Ryan Lewis?

For Gemini, we see Macklemore essentially much more personal than ever. The nostalgic vintage imagery is placed perfectly within the context of the album through songs like “Good Old Days”, and we get a closer look into how we perceive his contradictory views of America, and himself.
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CMA Announces More Unexpected Musical Performances And Collaborations For “The 51st Annual CMA Awards,” Airing Wednesday, Nov.8, On The ABC Television Network. New Performers Include Tim McGraw & Faith Hill, Pop Superstar P!NK, Keith Urban and an All-star Group Performance Featuring Eric Church, Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker and Urban

NASHVILLE—One of the best things about the CMA Awards are the surprises, and “The 51st Annual CMA Awards” has more unexpected collaborations to share as another round of superstar performances are announced for the Wednesday, Nov. 8 (8-11 PM ET), live broadcast from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on the ABC Television Network.

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, P!NK, and Keith Urban will perform on this year’s Awards, and an unprecedented opening collaboration will feature Eric Church, Lady Antebellum, Darius Rucker, Keith Urban and more. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will co-host The Awards for the 10th consecutive year.

Hill and McGraw are among Country Music’s most nominated couples and “Speak to a Girl” marks the sixth time they’ve been nominated together for a CMA in the Vocal Event of the Year and Musical Event of the Year categories since 1997’s “It’s Your Love,” which they won. The couple has 61 nominations combined, with McGraw winning 11 times, including the 2001 Entertainer of the Year. Hill has three victories.
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