Ed Sheeran The Sum of It All Review: The four-part docuseries features the world’s one of the most popular pop stars, Ed Sheeran, as he takes us through his journey of emotional landscape and everything in between. David Soutar directs the series and is executive produced by Ben Turner and Ben Winston. The show premiered on May 3, 2023, on all Disney+ platforms.
-Ed Sheeran The Sum of It All Review Does Not Contain Spoilers-
The documentary is divided into four 30-minute episodes where the artist shares the turbulent times in his personal life and how he is trying to overcome the tragedies. For the first time ever, the singer-songwriter truly opens up about his life and how it has affected him both professionally and socially. As the line between business and pleasure is often blurred, he tries to balance both aspects of his life.
The first episode is titled ‘Love’, and it mainly showcases the life with his wife and family. After finding out about his wife’s tumour, life took a 360-degree turn for the artist. The sudden news took him by surprise, and he was out of options but to wait for it to pass. The relationship dynamic between the couple is calming and beautiful. His wife had been his rock since day 1, and their closeness could be felt through the screen. However, not many intimate details were revealed, just some major incidents that altered their life.
Following that, the next episode, titled ‘Loss’, features Sheeran’s late best friend Jamal Edwards and how his death affected him. Losing a very important person in his life was extremely hard for the artist. However, he jotted down his feelings on a piece of paper and created music from it. Evidently, he is unable to express emotions, unlike everyone else and writing songs is one way for him to open up to everyone. But then again, even though the topic is talked about elaborately, not many revelations took place in the episode.
Furthermore, the docuseries also shares his fair share of difficulties he faced while growing up. Coming from a small city, it was not expected for him to become one of the greatest stars. Neither did he fit the stereotypical beauty standard, but through sheer determination and talent, he won everyone’s hearts. But he often seemed reluctant to display his emotions completely and let the audience know what he wanted them to know.
Nevertheless, he skillfully navigated through the bumpy road and twists and turns of life’s ever-changing path. He traversed through the complex terrain of emotions, including the joys and challenges of love and the inevitable experience of love. He describes loss as ‘End of one’s youth’ as losing someone is the irrevocable reality check that a person can receive in a lifetime. Even though he does not fully indulge in expressing his thoughts, the audience will get a fair idea about his feelings and intense emotions.
Most importantly, his love for music is boundless. The artist seems the happiest and most content whenever he is working on a new project or performing for a crowd of 60,000 people. As he has always been performing as a solo artist, he is extremely meticulous about getting everything right, as there is no one to blame except for himself if anything goes wrong. Moreover, he gives a glimpse of the making of his upcoming new album, Subtract (-).
Ed Sheeran The Sum of It All Review: Final Thoughts
The docuseries is a tiny sneak peek into the greatest pop star’s personal life. He shares his emotions, thoughts and ways of processing the hardships in life. However, it does not fully divulge the deepest aspects of his life, and the audience will often feel a disconnect. The major themes and subjects are merely glossed over. Nevertheless, the fans will definitely get a chance to know their favourite artist on a personal level.
Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. Did you watch the show yet? Let us know in the comments below!
Also Read: White House Plumbers Episode 2 Preview: When, Where and How to Watch!