If you ask today’s country artists who one of their greatest influences is, it’s likely that they would all answer by naming George Strait. With 61 number one hits, Strait has earned so much respect that fans and artists have all taken to calling him “The King of Country.”
But Strait’s influence has reached far beyond the confines of Nashville. His success has helped inspired artists of all backgrounds, including one of the world’s biggest pop stars right now.
Originally from the UK, Ed Sheeran took the music industry by storm with the release of his debut studio album in September 2011. He scored his first chart-topping hit three years later with “Sing.”
Later that same year, Sheeran released “Thinking Out Loud,” which topped the charts in various countries around the world. The song has since been certified seven times Platinum by the RIAA, and has been covered by numerous artists, including country singers such as Dylan Scott.
Sheeran recently topped the charts yet again with his latest release “Shape of You.” With his career taking off like wildfire, Sheeran is excited for what the future has in store.
Although Sheeran is planning to embark on a massive two-year tour, he dreams of one day doing something even bigger. As Sheeran revealed during an interview with Rolling Stone, he’d love to perform big stadium shows one day.
Sheeran credits this dream of his to a source that no one ever expected…Strait.
Strait is an expert at pulling off massive stadium shows. Even though he’s now retired from touring, Strait still hosts the occasional show at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He has a total of 10 dates scheduled for 2017, and kicked it all off with two shows in February. You could say that those shows were a huge success, because they were both sold out.
Those are exactly the types of shows that Sheeran hopes he’ll have the chance to play some day. “I want to do stadiums everywhere,” he said. “Like George Strait’s level.”
Based on the way that Sheeran’s career is going right now, we think that big stadium shows could be a possible part of his future!
As for Strait, his next Vegas show dates are scheduled for April 7 and April 8. Previously, Kacey Musgraves had been performing as Strait’s opening act for his Vegas dates. But now, Cam will be joining him for the remainder of his 2017 shows.
Tune in to the clip below to watch a performance from one of Strait’s concerts in Vegas. Watching stuff like this, it’s no wonder why artists like Sheeran want to be just like Strait!