What was the first tattoo Ed Sheeran got at the age of 18?

What was the first tattoo Ed Sheeran got at 18? It was an animal’s paw print. Sheeran has explained that he got the small tattoo in 2010, shortly after turning 18 and becoming legally able to get tattooed in England. The design was not a spontaneous choice: he had been drawing a paw print on himself with permanent marker for roughly three or four years.

The tattoo was done at a shop owned by Christina Perri’s brother. Sheeran later collaborated with Perri and toured with her, giving the seemingly small piece an unexpected connection to his music career. At the time, Sheeran reportedly thought it would be his only tattoo, but that plan quickly changed.

The paw print is easy to confuse with the musical symbols and colorful designs that became part of Sheeran’s much larger tattoo collection. His later tattoos include references to albums, collaborators, family, travel and major career moments. The famous large lion on his chest came much later and is unrelated to his first tattoo.