A Lurgan rapper has said superstar Ed Sheeran’s recent visit to Belfast was the “groundbreaking event needed for NI music to be taken seriously”.
Joseph Robinson, aka Wee Joe (22) was one of three musicians to be invited to have a one-to-one session with the Shape of You singer when he visited Hot Box Entertainment (HBE) last week.
During his trip to Belfast, the star visited HBE, the Oh Yeah Music Centre and Drake Music NI as part of the launch of the Ed Sheeran foundation.
The initiative aims to improve access to music for young people by providing instruments and opportunities to perform.
“We were just told that an artist was coming over and that we were putting together a performance for him,” Joseph told The Irish News.
“And on the day we were in this room waiting and then Charlotte Dryden from the Oh Yeah Centre came in and said, ‘Ed Sheeran is about to walk through the door’ and we didn’t believe it.
“Next thing you know the door opens and there he was – I couldn’t believe that one of the biggest artists in the world had just walked in to listen to my music.”
Joseph showed Ed the music video for his track Fun & Games which currently has more than 60,000 views on YouTube, which he said was “pretty cool”.
“He loved the originality and the energy because he was saying how Belfast is a very energetic scene, so he said it made sense to lean into that more and focus on building that sound because that’s what people from here love.
“He was a bit starstruck himself because I don’t think he was expecting as much talent.”
Ed also revealed that he was a “big fan” of Joseph’s hometown of Lurgan.
“He was touring a few years ago and he stayed literally 10 minutes down the road from me because there’s a house in Lurgan with a sauna in it and he said he uses a sauna to relax his voice after his shows.
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“He was drinking in the Celtic bar and all - I just couldn’t believe it – it was crazy.”
Joseph described the encounter as an “incredible experience” which has given him many “unbelievable memories”, including when Ed asked him about his rapper name.
“He said, ‘Why’s your name Wee Joe when you’re not even that wee?’ and the whole room just burst into laughter.
“That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me, and it came from Ed Sheeran,” laughed Joseph.
“But I feel like because of that he remembered my name – so hopefully I made a good first impression.”
HBE is an innovative platform and space for young creatives, which aims help young artists gain new skills, boost their confidence and provide a sense of belonging.
During his visit Ed was treated to a performance from 15 of the organisation’s musicians which he enjoyed so much, ended up joining in.
“He loved the energy that much he just grabbed the mic and jumped in and we all just started spitting bars and at the end he passed the mic over to me and he was kind of singing along.
“Like I heard him say ‘BT6′ in the background and I was like ‘no way is Ed Sheeran rapping along to my tune’, it was unbelievable.”
More: Ed Sheeran pays surprise visit to aspiring young Edinburgh musicians
Joseph said the support from the Ed Sheeran Foundation will help give local artists a bigger platform and hopefully improve funding for the arts.
“Whenever Ed Sheeran is on the radio or the TV saying that there’s loads of talent in Northern Ireland but a lack of interest and funding people are going to listen.
“So not only will his contributions help build up the music scene here but having his name attached to it will also give it more credibility.
“But what a way to kick off 2025, it’s only January, if it keeps going like this God knows where we can all be by the end of the year because we’re all one big community, we all support each other.”
Follow Wee Joe on instagram @weejoe__ .