[5][6][7] The lead single, "Sing", became Sheeran's first UK number-one song, reached number 13 in the US and peaked inside the top 10 in several other countries.

[21] On working with Pharrell, Sheeran told MistaJam on BBC Radio 1Xtra that they had written two other songs together that were in the style he "usually did", but for "Sing" he was pushed "out of [his] comfort zone" which made the track stand out.

Pharrell reportedly said that he wanted to "shake the world's view of [Sheeran] up" and make pioneering songs that no singer/songwriter has done before rather than just "a cool record".

[28] "Tenerife Sea", first played in demo form at Sheeran's sold out Madison Square Garden shows, is "trademark acoustic balladry".

Sheeran intended for the song to feature on a future project with Pharrell, but it was put on the album when he was persuaded to include "Sing".

[15][16][19] "The Man", produced by long-time collaborator Jake Gosling, features Sheeran rapping in a style similar to that of Mike Skinner from The Streets.

[16] The song focuses on a failed relationship, whilst touching on the subjects of marriage, chemical dependency and his career in the music industry.

Sheeran was asked to write the song for the closing credits by the film's director, Peter Jackson, whose daughter was a fan of his work.

[34][35] The Cover of the x studio album, pronounced "multiply", shows a large black lowercase letter X in a green background instead of the multiplication sign ×.

[38] The countdown to the unveiling of the first single was posted on Sheeran's Facebook page, but it was accidentally announced early by Zane Lowe that he would have the first play of "Sing" on 7 April 2014, as his "Hottest Record in the World".

[43][44][45][better source needed] On 5 May, Sheeran played three "Multiplyed" gigs, starting at the Steamboat Pub in Ipswich, going on to Koko in London, and finishing in Dublin, where his entire show was streamed live on his website.

[46][47][48] The next day, he played a session for BBC Radio 1 at their Maida Vale studios, where Zane Lowe made a live rendition of "One" his "Hottest Record in the World".

"[50] Sheeran played "Sing" on Later Live... with Jools Holland on 20 May, and showcased songs from the record on the extended version on 23 May, including the TV debut of "Thinking Out Loud".

The music video, released exclusively to Facebook on 22 May, features a puppet caricature of Sheeran on a night out in Los Angeles.

[86] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, remarking how Sheeran's usage of hip hop elements "keeps [the music] from being merely a bit of excellently crafted mature pop and gives it some appealing character.

"[2] Jon O'Brien of AllMusic said that the album "encompassed [Sheeran's] acoustic/hip-hop hybrid sound, but also had an R&B feel in places along with straight-ahead pop.

Club, Annie Zaleski graded the album a B, indicating how Sheeran is showing in his music that "growing up is messy and tough [...] but affirms that navigating life with maturity and confidence is possible.

"[85] Randall Roberts of Los Angeles Times rated the album two-and-a-half stars out of four, calling the music "well-crafted, generous and willing to lay it on thick when necessary, but fun to be around nonetheless".

[94] At Entertainment Weekly, Melissa Maerz graded the album a B, commenting how even though Sheeran is "finally getting angry, taking aim at a pop-star girlfriend who slept with another guy" that "he's still a good boy after all.

"[88] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard rated the album an 81 out of 100, and according to him, he "finds a hungry artist doing everything possible to elevate to another level, simply by abiding by his instincts".

"[97] In addition, Aizlewood remarks how Sheeran has "used his success rather than been used by it",[97] Brian Mansfield of USA Today rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of four, calling it a "rare album that satisfies expectations while simultaneously raising them", and saying it "showcases the sweet, achingly vulnerable songs" that is a hallmark of Sheeran's work.

but had several criticisms including noting how his music was "milky bland", his lyrics "rote and soppy" and the album's sound as a whole was "unconvincing".

[99] Writing for musicOMH John Murphy rated the album three stars out of five, noting how "X will undoubtedly be another huge success for Sheeran, and if he can build on its good points, there could be an even better record lurking inside him as well", taking issue with the album's "huge reliance on epic sounding but bland ballad-anthems" which sound "calculated and a little bit cynical".

[100] Kitty Empire of The Observer was unimpressed by the album, rating it two stars out of five, and stated Sheeran's writing "[doesn't] actually find a new gear for the love song, just new turns of phrase, at a push".

[89] ABC News' Allan Raible found Sheeran spent much of the album "trying to force the groove in the name of pop success", concluding that it was "a mixed bag leaning on the negative side of the equation".

[101] Time Out noted his music was "cloying", ultimately rating the album three stars out of five, saying "There's enough awkward rapping and gooey-eyed sentiment here to put cynical listeners off."

[91] PopMatters rated the album six out of ten, acknowledging Sheeran as a "talented wordsmith [who] uses past experiences and stories and moulds them into money making songs that stick in your head for days" but noted some of his songs "lack originality and flare" and criticising Sheeran as "predictable and boring to see another singer songwriter talk about relationships and emotions".

[102] In an essay for Pitchfork, Michael Tedder noted that Sheeran's "Nice Guy Brand promises the consumer that the lovelorn troubadour is sensitive, nerdy [...], and won't break your heart like those other boys.

[11] In the United States, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 210,000 copies, becoming Sheeran's first number-one record in the country.

[118] In November 2015, x became the first album to be certified Diamond by the Australian Recording Industry Association, a newly created category that denotes over 500,000 sales.