Ed Sheeran stands as one of the world’s most recognisable singer-songwriters, a global pop superstar whose musical journey began long before stadium tours and streaming algorithms. His partnership with Orange celebrates these grassroots beginnings in the form of “Outlowd by Ed Sheeran”.
The ES series is a line of amplifiers designed to inspire more people to play music in every setting. Like Sheeran’s own career, the ES Series is rooted in real-world playing, from songwriting at home to busking and live performance, making playing music feel accessible, social, and joyful.
Before dominating streaming platforms and stadium tours, Ed Sheeran’s music started in bedrooms, youth clubs, pubs, and on the street corners of his hometown, Ipswich, Suffolk. Busking taught him how to perform and connect with an audience, proving that tiny venues are super important to a musician’s development and teaching artists “not to sweat the big stuff”. His playing and songwriting have always maintained an honest, human connection, inspired by the emotional moments music evokes.
That approach to music led to a collaboration with Orange Amplification, culminating in the “Outlowd by Ed Sheeran” ES Series. The range brings together Orange’s analogue heritage with a modern, musician-first design, aiming to make playing music fun and accessible. From the compact, rechargeable 3-Watt ES3 Bluetooth Speaker, the 60-Watt “Ultimate Busking Amp” ES60, to the professional 100-Watt Celestion-equipped ES100, the series was designed around Sheeran’s own personal criteria: building products that feel genuinely inspiring and useful for musicians at different stages of their musical lives.
PORTABILITY MEETS PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE
The ES Series bridges the gap between casual practice and demanding live environments. The centrepiece of the launch, the ES60, is hailed as the “ultimate busking amplifier”. It combines long-lasting battery-powered portability with a booming 60 Watts of Orange tone, a built-in FX loop, and +48V phantom power. It’s a design rooted in Sheeran’s modern music lifestyle, ensuring artists have professional live-performance sound wherever they go, without mains power.
HONEST TO THE ROOTS
For Ed Sheeran, music doesn’t start in arenas; it starts in local communities. The ES Series was built to feel honest to that reality, celebrating the idea that anyone can start somewhere. The collaboration focuses on approachability, driven by Sheeran asking a simple question: “Is this something that I need in my life as a musician?” The result is a line of products rooted in the pure, fun escape of playing music, proving that you don’t need a massive stage to find your voice.
“I wanted this project with Orange to feel honest to that – celebrating local musicians, local communities, and the idea that anyone can start somewhere” – Ed Sheeran
GIVING BACK THROUGH ‘PLAY IT HOME’
Beyond the hardware, the collaboration champions grassroots music culture through the Outlowd: Play It Home initiative. Reflecting Sheeran’s own journey, the campaign travels to cities like Nashville, Paris, Tokyo, and Toronto, spotlighting local artists through intimate performances in meaningful locations. By providing equipment donations, financial support to youth music programmes, and rehearsal space initiatives, Sheeran and Orange are working to nurture the local communities that feed the entire music ecosystem.
Orange Amplifiers distributed in Australia by Australis Music Group