At first, I hoped Ed Sheeran could be contained. Nine years ago, shortly after Sheeran got his big spotlight moment on Taylor Swift’s Red, “The A Team” — a saccharine folk-pop ballad from the English singer-songwriter’s debut album + (plus), which had already blown up in his native country — established him as a pop-radio force in America as well. Dude was obnoxiously cloying, and his music was corny even at its best, so I crossed my fingers that he’d go away soon. When Sheeran started rapping and working with producers like Pharrell on 2014’s x (multiply), I suspected it would be his downfall, but no, it made him a much bigger star. He pushed all the way to the center of mainstream pop with 2017’s ÷ (divide), even daring to incorporate dancehall into his sound on the smash hit “Shape Of You.” He duetted with Beyoncé — and she was the one who needed him to get back to #1. He headlined stadiums, performing solo with just a guitar and a looping pedal. And in 2019, he took a victory lap with No.6 Collaborations Project, an LP with all-star rappers and singers on every track.