The bad news has arrived — British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran will not be performing in Taiwan until further notice due to, in his words, “a bit of a bicycle accident.” While he has not specified what happened, most news reports state that he was allegedly hit by a car while cycling in London.
Concert promoter AEG Presents confirmed yesterday that Sheeran’s Taipei show, scheduled for Monday at Nangang Exhibition Hall, has been delayed as examinations revealed fractures in his right wrist and left elbow. This also affects his concerts in Osaka, Seoul, Tokyo and Hong Kong.
The popular singer first announced the mishap via Instagram on Monday, posting an image of his tattooed arm in a sling, stating that he is waiting on medical advice that may affect his upcoming shows.
Yesterday, Sheeran posted another photo of his cast, confirming the delays and adding, “I’m waiting to see how the healing progresses before we have to decide on shows beyond that. Please stay tuned for more details.”
Taipei promoter Genesis Global has also asked fans who have purchased tickets to wait for further announcements.
Sheeran is one of the best-selling artists in the world and his latest album Divide smashed Spotify records, drawing 57 million listens on the first day of its release — nearly twice the previous highest.
Photo: AFP
The 26-year-old’s new album performed especially well in his native Britain and in Ireland, where he traces ancestry and whose traditional music he incorporated into two songs on Divide.
After several years of playing on the street and in bars, Sheeran won breakthrough international success with his 2014 love ballad Thinking Out Loud.
That song became the first on Spotify to be streamed half a billion times.
In December 2015, Sheeran announced that he was taking a hiatus from phones, e-mails and social media and traveled the world, reportedly spending much time in Asia. If he for some reason doesn’t make it back to Taiwan to play, perhaps disappointed fans can catch him wandering the streets of Taipei during another break.
This is the second high-profile musician bicycle mishap in recent years as a 2014 accident left U2 singer Bono unable to play guitar for six months.
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