Ed Sheeran has parted company with his longtime record label, Warner Music Group.
This comes after the Give Me Love singer had previously revealed that he had split from Atlantic Records and Asylum Records last month, having worked with them for 15 years.
Going forward, Sheeran will work as an independent artist, releasing his music through his own label, Gingerbread Man Records.
"This isn't a 'disgruntled artist leaves record label' type situation", Sheeran wrote in his newsletter. "This is a boy who started as a teenager in the company with different priorities, to the father-of-two man who exists now, who feels like he needs a shift and change in the way he does things professionally".
Sheeran joined up with with then head of A&R for Asylum, Ed Howard following a show in Notting Hill in 2009, according to Rolling Stone.
From this, the label oversaw the release of seven albums from Sheeran, including Plus under Atlantic/Asylum in September 2011, with other albums including Multiply, Divide, Subtract, Equals, and the new series starter, Play.
"Over the past 15 years, I've put out so much music and had so much success with that company. We've built something amazing together, and enjoyed such life-changing stuff happening to us," Sheeran wrote.
"My life is hugely different now to what it was when I was a teenager, and I've been feeling in my gut for a long time that a lot of things in my professional life need to change. I am, underneath it all, a singer-songwriter who plays pub gigs. And I've sorta morphed into this pop star who plays stadiums over 15 years, it's a super amazing thing to have happened, but also a lot to get your head around".
He added: "I leave the company with so much love and gratitude for everything we have achieved together".
Elsewhere, Warner Music Group had released this statement: "Warner Music Group is proud to have supported Ed through his discovery and remarkable rise over the past 15 years and grateful for his continued partnership. Everyone in the Warner Music family wishes Ed the very best as he embarks on the next chapter of his extraordinary artistic journey".
