Ed Sheeran turned an ordinary Wednesday karaoke night in Detroit into an unforgettable experience when he unexpectedly joined a local fan for a duet of his hit song “Thinking Out Loud.”
The international pop superstar was in Detroit on Aug. 19 while traveling to Toronto, where he was scheduled to perform three concerts. He is also set to return to Detroit for a concert at Ford Field on Aug. 29.
A Karaoke Fan Decides to Take His Chance
Kevin Reddy, 32, is a regular at Sakazuki, a sake and sushi bar located in Detroit’s Book Tower. On Wednesday nights, he often heads there for karaoke.
This week, Reddy was preparing to sing “Thinking Out Loud” when he learned that Sheeran was at Hiroki-San, the Japanese restaurant located downstairs from the bar.
Rather than let the opportunity pass, Reddy decided to find the singer. He brought his girlfriend, Emily Lange, along for the search.
Reddy admitted that a few Miller High Lifes gave him enough confidence to approach one of the world’s biggest pop stars.
“I had enough liquid courage in me to go look for him,” Reddy said. “There was no thinking about it. I thought to myself, ‘this moment is not going to pass me up. Life is too short, I’m not gonna miss it.’”
The pair initially couldn’t locate Sheeran, so Reddy asked a waitress for help. She pointed him toward a man sitting in the corner wearing a baseball cap.
Reddy walked over and began singing a few lines of “Thinking Out Loud” directly to Sheeran.
Released in 2014, the song remains one of Sheeran’s biggest hits, with more than 3.1 billion Spotify streams, making it the fourth most-streamed song in his catalog.
Sheeran Welcomes the Unexpected Serenade
Reddy wasn’t sure how Sheeran would react.
“It was a shot in the dark, but I thought I might as well just try it, and see what he does,” he recalled.
Instead of brushing him off, Sheeran turned around, laughed and invited Reddy and Lange over to his table.
According to Reddy, Sheeran was warm and interested in getting to know them. The singer was there with his wife, Cherry Seaborn, and the conversation lasted roughly 20 minutes.
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Reddy described the interaction as surprisingly ordinary, saying it felt like a genuine conversation rather than an encounter with a superstar.
So why was Sheeran in Detroit in the first place?
He was in the middle of his tour and heading to Toronto for the first of three concerts. Detroit appeared to be a stop along the way. Sheeran is scheduled to perform at Ford Field on Aug. 29.
Then Reddy Asked for One More Favor
After spending time talking with Sheeran, Reddy decided to take another chance.
He told Sheeran that he had selected “Thinking Out Loud” upstairs at Sakazuki.
Sheeran’s response was immediate: “Let’s do it.”
The two headed upstairs, where they performed the song together for a small group of people at the bar shortly before Sakazuki closed for the night.
Sheeran even added a few curse words during the performance, turning the spontaneous duet into an impromptu mini-concert.
“It was just surreal and amazing,” Reddy said.
The encounter was brief. After the performance, Reddy gave Sheeran a hug, and the singer soon disappeared.
Fortunately, Lange had been recording and captured video of the once-in-a-lifetime duet.
Reddy Couldn’t Keep the Experience to Himself
Still buzzing from what had just happened, Reddy crossed the street to the Bastille and immediately began showing people the video.
“I had to tell people. I had to externalize it,” he said. “I had just sung with Ed Sheeran!”
After returning home, Reddy posted the video on social media. By Thursday, Ed Sheeran fan accounts were already contacting him, asking to share the footage and hear about his unexpected night with the singer.
Reddy, who works as a communications specialist for an infrastructure firm, admitted that the attention was making it difficult to focus on his regular work.
“I’m working today,” he said. “But it’s a little hard to get anything done.”
A Night That’s Hard to Top
Reddy grew up in the Chicago suburbs before moving to Detroit a few years ago. Karaoke has become one of his favorite ways to break up the week.
His usual song choices include Billy Joel’s “Vienna,” U2’s “With or Without You” and “You’ll Be Back” from Hamilton.
Sheeran is also one of his favorites, which made Wednesday night’s surprise encounter even more special.
For Reddy, though, it will be difficult for any future karaoke night to compete.
“Literally, nothing can top this,” he said. “I’ll always have this.”
