Ed Sheeran Reveals He Co-Wrote ‘Thinking Out Loud’ With Childhood Friend To Help Pay Her Mortgage

There is no doubt that Ed Sheeran is a man who wears his heart on his sleeve, and those huge tearjerker ballads he pens are proof if anyone needs it. Now, new information has come light that has the singer being labeled as the nicest man in the music industry, and it is a title he could arguably hold forever based on what he did for a childhood friend with his last album. Sheeran gave his friend a massive financial boost by co-writing one of the songs on his last album with her — you may have heard of “Thinking Out Loud.”

His fame and success has certainly not made this singer lose sight of his roots. The friend in question, Amy Wadge, who is also a singer and songwriter, came to Sheeran in a moment of desperation. The 24-year-old star musician, who had the honor of hosting the MTV Europe Music Awards on Sunday with actress Ruby Rose, admitted in an interview that Wadge came to him right as he was finishing up his second album X. She was in a difficult financial situation, and instead of asking for money, she asked for the chance to earn what she needed by placing an old song they had done together on his new album so that she could get some royalties and help pay her mortgage.

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The Mirror revealed that Wadge and Sheeran ended up giving the music industry the gift that is “Thinking Out Loud.”

“She was going through financial troubles about a year ago. She drove to my house – my album was nearly done – and she asked if I could put a song from when I was 17 on the deluxe album, so she could get a little bit of money and pay the mortgage and bills and stuff. While she was there, we wrote ‘Thinking Out Loud’. Now she never has to worry about money again.”

“Thinking Out Loud” was released as a single on Sheeran’s last album and effortlessly became a chart topper. The song became a number one hit worldwide after its release, and the YouTube channel alone shows that the video has been viewed over 700 million times. In addition,”Thinking Out Loud” was streamed on Spotify over half a billion times and incredibly went platinum not once but an eye-popping three times in the U.K. The hit song spent a total of 19 weeks in the Top 40. According to the Independent, the song also sold over 100,000 copies.

Sheeran shows absolutley no signs of regretting the decision that led to sharing credit for the hit song.

“She’s got a family and two kids and stuff and every time I speak to her, she’s going on holiday. It’s really nice to see. It wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t come down from Wales to see me.”

For her part, Amy Wadge is equally happy with her decision to see Sheeran that night and collaborate on “Thinking Out Loud.” The singer/songwriter says that she had been having a miserable time at that point in her life. A publishing advance she had had run out, and she was unable to see her family at all in addition to not being able to pay her mortgage. Since those desperate moments, Wadge has gone on to write for the likes of U.K. sensations Ben Haenow and Geri Horner – formerly known as Halliwell.

“Thinking Out Loud” also sky rocketed to being the song to have a first dance to at weddings for the past 12 months, and Sheeran says he receives about five or six messages daily to the fact.

.@edsheeran you're the man! -Ed Sheeran Helped Childhood Friend Pay Off Her Mortgage https://t.co/Xxqgk7iZ1H pic.twitter.com/IatkSUZCqC

— Xposé (@Xpose) October 27, 2015

In truth, the song also holds a special place in Ed Sheeran’s heart. He has stated that the song, which was his second number 1 in six months, is actually his favorite off the X album. We can’t help but wonder if his love for the song is not partly fueled by the knowledge that the number 1 hit helped his friend Amy Wadge with her mortgage.

[Photo Courtesy of Dave Hogan/MTV 2015/Getty Images]