Ed Sheeran is the inverse of the image your mind conjures when you think the words “pop star.” And until fairly recently, his music was the aural opposite of what you would consider a pop music smash. But that doesn’t mean that Sheeran’s massive worldwide success is some sort of fluke. Every profile of him paints him as a shameless striver, the sort who thinks very hard about market demographics and how to reach them and has set a goal to be the biggest pop musician on the planet. And his recently announced cameo on Game of Thrones slots right in with that never-ending push to be bigger.
After all, if you want to be the biggest star on the globe, it can’t hurt to get in on the world’s biggest television show, right?
According to The Guardian, Sheeran’s upcoming cameo in Season 7 of the fantasy show is even more closely related to his pop-star power bid than we thought. While many famous fans have no doubt asked to appear on the show, it was actually a teenage girl who was really into Sheeran’s music that landed him on HBO, albeit one with a fair bit of clout.
Maisie Williams, the 19-year-old who plays lady-turned-assassin Arya Stark, is a Sheeran superfan and his presence on the show was a treat for her.
“For years, we tried to get Ed Sheeran on the show to surprise Maisie, and this year we finally did it,”showrunner David Benioff said.
While it’s doubtful that Sheeran will whip out a cover of “Shape Of You” alongside “The Bear and The Maiden Fair,” his appearance on Game of Thrones only stands to grow the already sizable audience that made Divide a hit.
