Ed Sheeran Believes He Won't Win Top Music Award!

"Now I'm aware I won't win, but to be put on the shortlist is a real honour, and something that makes both 26 year old me and 13 year old me very happy and proud," Ed wrote on Instagram.
Sheeran's third album ÷ (Divide) is for many critics a surprise inclusion on the shortlist. Other acts nominated for the top prize include Stormzy, Alt-J and The xx.
But Mercury Prize judge and singer songwriter Ella Eyre not only believes that Ed Sheeran deserves to be on the shortlist but reckons he has ever chance of winning it too.
"He had one of the biggest albums of the year you can't deny that, you can't deny there's that many people who enjoy that album and I have to say you cannot deny that he can write a bloody good pop song," she says.
"He is a very talented man and I think that album I really enjoyed and I think a lot of us did."
In a new Instagram post, Ed Sheeran spoke about his joy of finally fulfilling his dream of being nominated for a Mercury. Ed says he's thrilled just to have been nominated for one of the most prestigious awards in the music industry.
"My dream when I first started music was to sell out Shepherd's Bush empire and have a Mercury nominated album," he said in a new post on Instagram.
"Did the latter on the first album but have never been nominated on either album so just assumed it would ever happen, as I'm aware, I'm not the most critically acclaimed artist out there. But today, low and behold, woke up to find out Divide has been shortlisted."
Ed won't be able to attend the ceremony, sadly. "I'm sorry I can't make the ceremony as I am still touring the USA," he added.