Jamie Lawson: Singer wasn't expecting that

Jamie Lawson’s Wasn’t Expecting That inspired Ed Sheeran to write Afire Love. Photo / Supplied

Jamie Lawson’s long-awaited rise comes thanks to enduring song — and Ed Sheeran.

Before he even released his first record, Ed Sheeran played a gig in London with a songwriter whose song went on to inspire him to write one of his own tracks.

Four years and two huge hit albums later, with sold-out arena tours, Sheeran sought out that songwriter, Jamie Lawson.

"We only met once and we lost touch, but somehow he remembered me," Lawson said.

Sheeran was playing a secret, small session in Dublin for 100 people a year or so ago when he contacted Lawson and asked him to join him.

"I was kind of surprised to hear from him but he was a big fan of my song, Wasn't Expecting That, which I had played on the night we played together." It was that song that Sheeran said inspired him to write the track Afire Love on his second studio album X.

"He said he listened to that song a lot and that it was on his radar so much that he has a song on his record called Afire Love which is about his grandparents," Lawson said.

Sheeran then invited Lawson to meet him at V Festival in Britain where he asked him to open for him on some of his UK and Europe dates.

It was the big break Lawson, 39, had been waiting for.

The singer-songwriter from Plymouth in southwest England had come close before, but nothing really happened.

A radio DJ in Ireland found a YouTube video of him performing Wasn't Expecting That and played it. From there it went on to reach No 1, but only in Ireland.

Sheeran didn't even realise that the song hadn't had a wider reach.

"We were talking about Wasn't Expecting That and he said, 'Oh that was a hit, wasn't it?' And I said, 'Well, not really. It stuck in Ireland and never anywhere else,'" Lawson said.

This gave Sheeran an idea. The award-winning singer had already been thinking about starting his own label and now he had found an artist to sign to it.

He hooked Lawson up with a producer and he recorded his first album, which he will release on October 9.

It turns out Sheeran also chose Australia as the perfect place to next launch Lawson.

"We started the whole campaign with Ed here launching Wasn't Expecting That in Australia, because Ed said 'This is where you should start everything from'.

"His thinking was if we can have a hit there with it, it will go everywhere." So far Sheeran's instincts have paid off because the song went straight to No 3 on the Aria singles charts.

Lawson is now in Australia playing sold-out gigs in Melbourne and Brisbane before coming here to play in Auckland on Saturday night.

It's taken almost 20 years, but things are finally beginning to happen for Lawson.

And while the singer is getting messages from people all over the world saying they like his songs, you can tell he's still in a state of disbelief that all of his hard work is starting to pay off. "This could stop at any minute," he said. "I'm still cautious and hopeful."

Music profile

Who: Jamie Lawson
When: Saturday, August 29
Where: Tuning Fork, Vector Arena.

- AAP