Watch: Lurgan rapper Wee Joe's performance leaves Ed Sheeran smiling from ear to ear

The world-renowned musician and singer songwriter visited Northern Ireland as part of the UK-wide launch of his new charity, The Ed Sheeran Foundation.

The Foundation, which aims to raise the profile of UK music education and advocate for more music industry support and Government investment in talent development, will support three local music organisations – Drake Music Northern Ireland, Hotbox Entertainment and the Oh Yeah Music Centre.

Accompanied by Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody, Ed spent time meeting young participants on the organisations’ music programmes.

It was at the Hotbox Entertainment studio in Belfast where 22-year-old Joseph Robinson – aka ‘Wee Joe’ – from Lurgan, got the totally unexpected opportunity of a lifetime to perform for the superstar.

Joseph and three other artists were firstly invited to have a one-to-one session with Ed showing their recent projects to him and to meet his team.

"I was just buzzing, we were so shocked when we saw him and his team coming in,” said Joseph. “I couldn’t believe we had the number one artist in the UK coming to our community to hear us perform. I was star struck and it got me really excited about performing.

"I showed him my track Fun & Games which can be found on YouTube and I talked with him about my friend George who passed away in 2023 who was in the music video and was a day one supporter of my career. Ed sympathetically shared his condolences. He’s also had close friends he’s lost and been open about so I knew he would understand.

"We had a few rehearsals for a cypher with 15 artists, rappers, singers and band put together by Black Jack Franco. We each had a minute verse, once we finished all the rappers were freestyling and we had the best suprise when Ed walked into the booth and starting freestyling with us.

"I was over the moon, I couldn’t believe we were on the same track recorded live with Ed Sheeran of all people - it was completely unplanned, even James Ayo of Hotbox Entertainment didn’t expect that. It was on video and recorded in the producer’s room. We’ll have that forever. A special day for all of us and the HBE community.”

Joseph said the whole experience will give him many fantastic memories, including when Ed asked him about his name.

"I’ll remember him saying to me ‘why are you called Wee Joe when you’re not even that wee?’ The whole room lit up with laughter.

"Also, after Ed finished on the mic he passed it directly to me. He said he loved my energy and was singing along to the verse a bit I had previously performed. There’s a video of me and him together and he’s smiling ear to ear. I had Ed Sheeran singing my song!”

Joseph also chatted to the star about Lurgan.

"When I said I was from Lurgan he knew immediately where I was from and said he had enjoyed staying there a few years ago when he was touring.”

The Lurgan rapper said the surprise experience had given him a real boost.

"I’ve been an artist at HBE studios for around three-and-a-half years now. James Ayo has really encouraged me in my career and future aspirations by giving me opportunities like this and I’ve also featured on mixtapes they’ve produced too.

"I grew up listening to UK rap music and there never a platform over here until I found Hotbox Entertainment, through one of their cyphers on the HBE studios YouTube channel.

"I felt like I finally had a purpose and discovered a new talent when I first rapped after James first encouraged me to try it out. I finally had a community. I’ve performed in different venues in Belfast, mostly through HBE but unfortunately there’s few places where rap/hip-hop is embraced or where we will even be considered for gigs because people don’t support urban music simply because it is our accents or because it hasn’t been tapped into by the mainstream music industry which Ed emphasised on.

"Meeting him was an amazing experience that I’ll cherish forever and I can only work harder to achieve my dream from this day onwards, it’s really gave me and my peers the push I feel we needed.

"My future aspirations would be for NI hip-hop and the music scene to be taken more seriously and for more opportunities like this and for more people to show interest so that we can grow and that the scene can grow. All we want is to be given a chance.”

Hotbox Entertainment is an innovative platform and space for young creatives, dedicated to addressing the mental health challenges facing young people in Northern Ireland, where 30 per cent of musicians are reported to experience low mental well-being, and 60 per cent have faced suicidal thoughts. Through the power of music creation and creative education, Hotbox aims to reduce these statistics by helping young artists gain new skills, boost their confidence, and provide a sense of belonging.

James Ayo of Hotbox Entertainment said: “Thanks to the generous donation from Ed Sheeran’s Foundation, we will be supporting 30 artists through the creation of a new mixtape and offering another 20 artists the opportunity to showcase their talent through live sessions in a fully equipped facility. Additionally, we are organising an award show to celebrate young talent, lift their spirits, and combat feelings of depression, and a lack of opportunity.”