TikTokIt's official! Ed Sheeran has broken the record for the biggest ever LIVE music performance on TikTok with over 5.5 million unique viewers watching the show across the live stream on Friday 25 and two replays on Saturday 26 June. The TikTok UEFA EURO 2020 show was staged at Portman Road, home stadium of Ed's beloved Ipswich Town football club and streamed globally on his TikTok channel.
The groundbreaking performance was conceived and filmed specifically for the TikTok audience. From a bespoke stage designed and created to be native to vertical video, the show combined groundbreaking special effects, an on-stage mobile phone that Ed used to talk directly to the audience, as well as augmented reality that changed with each song and integrated with the backdrop of the football stadium. It was a performance that encapsulated both intimacy and scale, creating a unique moment that wowed millions in the TikTok community. Acclaimed British Music Video Director Emil Nava (Creative Director) and Music and Television Director Hamish Hamilton (Director) worked in partnership with TikTok, Atlantic Records, Ed's management and the artist himself to produce the creative and technical spectacle, which also featured prominent TikTok creators Jeremy Lynch, Nathan Ramsay and Leticia Stock .
The show also included the live premiere of his new single 'Bad Habits', following an exclusive preview on TikTok the week before, which let fans create videos using a clip of the song. With over 400,000 creations using the sound since launch, it is now the biggest global song preview on TikTok, setting yet another record.
Fans across the world tuned in to the TikTok UEFA EURO 2020 Show, a celebration of music and football that marked TikTok’s partnership with UEFA as the home for football fans during the tournament. During a 12 song, hour-long set from the ground, fans were treated to classic songs including: 'A Team', 'Sing' and 'Shape of You', as well as an emotional performance of his song 'Visiting Hours' from a local pub and dedicated to Ed's friend, former Australian music exec Michael Gudinksi who passed away earlier this year. The show was the first global broadcast for the UK star, the first full show he'd played with a live band and the premiere live performance of his new single, Bad Habits.
From announcing the show in a video featuring footballing icon David Beckham, through to specially created behind the scenes videos, to highlights of the performance itself, there have been 150 million views of Ed's TikToks since the campaign began.
Paul Hourican, Head of Music Operations, UK, TikTok said: "The TikTok UEFA 2020 show was an incredible moment for our community around the world and a watershed moment for Live music streaming. Alongside the numbers, Ed's unmissable live show has creatively raised the bar as to what is possible within the the Live streaming format and demonstrated the scale and ambition TikTok can deliver for artists. Thank you to all our partners who worked so tirelessly to bring this to life and of course to Ed himself for demonstrating once again, why he is one of the greatest artists of his generation."
Ed Howard, Co-President of Atlantic Records said: “We are thrilled to see Ed make history again following his fantastic TikTok UEFA 2020 show performance and release of Bad Habits. Uniting and engaging his global fanbase was imperative for Ed, Grumpy Old Management and Atlantic as we kicked-off his new campaign, and our close partnership with Paul and the whole TikTok team enabled us to realise that ambition in a uniquely creative way. From the intricate creative direction by Emil Nava to the cameos from the wider TikTok community, Friday proved to be a ground-breaking event that generated huge excitement amongst Ed’s fans worldwide. Deservedly it has become the most-viewed artist performance in TikTok history and we’re excited to see Ed’s footprint continue to grow on the platform.”
For those of you that missed this epic show you can catch it again in full on TikTok on Friday 9 July at 20:00 BST / 15:00 EDT / 12:00 PDT / 05:00 AEST.
New to TikTok and want to watch the show? Getting involved couldn't be easier, simply download the app for free via the Apple App Store, Google Play or Amazon.
