Ed Sheeran Dedicates Album To Michael Gudinski

Gudinsk pictured with the million-ticket man, Ed Sheeran,
Matt Jelonek / WireImage – Gudinsk pictured with the million-ticket man, Ed Sheeran,
at a media call in Perth ahead of a record-breaking 18 stadium shows in Australia and New Zealand in March 2018.

Ed Sheeran has dedicated his October-due album, = [Equals], to Frontier Touring’s Michael Gudinski, his father figure and mentor. 

Frontier began touring Sheeran Down Under as an unknown and by 2018 set a new local record by selling 1 million tickets to 18 shows on one tour.
“I was there from the start when he played to 40 people,” Gudinski said in a 2018 Pollstar feature.  “He was just 19 years old. Even though it was a small audience, you could see how he connected with them. To see him develop and work with someone who is younger than my kids has been so inspiring to me. I’ve never had such a close relationship with any young artist. He’s a gifted writer, and he listens to a wide array of music. He’s always got the headphones on.”
The upcoming album includes “Visiting Hours,” written for Gudinski after his March death, and premiered at his state memorial in Melbourne.
The song features Kylie Minogue and Jimmy Barnes on backup vocals. They were also Gudinski family friends whom Sheeran met at the memorial. 
Barnes’ new album, Flesh And Blood, is likewise dedicated to the mogul who died at 68.
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