The music industry is changing every day. New artistes are showing up on the scene to carve out a stake in the market share, but in spite of this, there are veteran musicians whose place on the music scene remain stamped in seemingly permanent ink. These musicians have risen to the very top of the entertainment ladder, weathering all kinds of storms to become almost more myth than human. Ed Sheeran and Drake represent this coterie of musical talents who are considered to be the very best in the business, with millions of fans scattered all around the world. They are among the greatest artists in the world and have achieved stardom on the scale that many can only dream of, there may never be an Ed Sheeran vs Drake rivalry but who among them is the bigger pop star? Let’s trash that out.
Appraising Ed Sheeran and Drake’s Career
To start with, Ed Sheeran is the younger of the two singers. The British musical act has also built an astounding career as a songwriter, actor, and record producer. His rise to global fame began after he independently released his EP No. 5 Collaborations Project in 2011 which put him on the radar of many major recording companies including Asylum records which signed him a few months after. The rest, as they say, is history. Ed Sheeran has since released four studio albums which have all debuted at the top of the UK and US Billboard charts. His musical career is peppered generously with numerous awards and recognition, all of which have helped to certify his place as one of the best pop stars to walk the earth.
Canada’s biggest export and favorite son is none other than Drake. The multi-talented Toronto native has earned global acclaim as a rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur, record producer, film producer, actor, and singer. He started his career as a child actor on the show Degrassi: The Next Generation before deciding to concentrate his efforts on his musical pursuits. He released three projects independently: Room for Improvement, Comeback Season, and So Far Gone, then signed with Young Money Entertainment label in 2009. Since then, Drake has released six studio albums to the delight of critics and audiences everywhere. The accolades he has received for his work number in the hundreds.
Ed Sheeran Vs Drake: Who Has Sold the Most Albums?
Based on the number of albums they have sold, let’s compare the two artistes to figure out who is the bigger pop star. Ed Sheeran has released four albums to date titled +, ×, ÷, and No. 6 Collaborations Project. He dropped his first album in 2011 and has since sold over 150 million records globally, which makes him one of the bestselling artists in the world. In addition, the albums × and ÷ are amongst the highest-selling albums in the history of the UK charts, holding the number 20 and 34 spots respectively. His ÷ music tour holds the record for the highest-grossing ever.
Till date, Drake has released six albums titled Thank Me Later, Take Care, Nothing Was the Same, Views, Scorpion, and Care Package. He is also one of the best selling musical artists in the world with 150 million album copies sold worldwide. Drake holds the record for highest-certified digital singles by an artist, as well as several other Billboard records. The God’s Plan crooner has spent the most time on the Hot 100 charts (431 weeks), has the most charted songs by a solo artist (186), the most simultaneously charted songs on the Hot 100 in one week (27), and the most Hot 100 debuts in a week (22).
Who Has Won More Awards?
Together, Ed Sheeran and Drake have been nominated for close to 1000 awards, if not more, and have won a good portion of them. However, we’re only going to base this pop star showdown on the awards that really matter. So which of them has won the most prestigious and popular awards?
Ed Sheeran’s Awards and Accolades
- Grammy Awards for Song of the Year
- Two Grammy Awards for Best Pop Solo Performance
- Grammy Awards for Best Pop Vocal Album
- American Music Awards for Favourite Male Artist – Pop/Rock
- Seven Billboard Music Awards
- Five Brit Awards
- Global Award for Most Played Song
- Three People’s Choice Awards
- Three MTV Europe Music Awards
- Three MTV Video Music Awards
- Eight Teen Choice Awards
Drake’s Awards and Accolades
- Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album
- Two Grammy Awards for Best Rap Song
- Grammy Awards for Best Rap/Sung Performance
- Five American Music Awards
- Twenty-seven Billboard Music Awards
- Two Brit Awards for Best International Male Solo Artist
- Six Juno Awards
- Two MOBO Awards
- Two MTV Music Awards
- Four MTV Video Music Awards for Best Hip-Hop Video
- NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Duo or Group
- Three Teen Choice Awards
See Also: Who Has The Most Grammys of All Time?
Who Is The Bigger Pop Star?
Going by their album sales, chart records, and the number of awards that both stars have won, it is fairly obvious that Drake is a bigger pop star than Ed Sheeran despite how keenly contested the race is.
