A self-confessed ‘music-mad’ eight-year-old from Co Tyrone has said that he wants to become the next Ed Sheeran, after meeting the Shape Of You singer in Belfast last week.
Charlie Allen, who lives just outside Omagh, has been playing guitar for little under two years and was invited to perform to some “special guests” at Belfast’s Oh Yeah Centre last Friday as Ed Sheeran jetted into Belfast to link up with Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody to launch his new charity The Ed Sheeran Foundation.
Belfast was just one of his visits to cities around the UK that will have groups connecting with the project, including the Oh Yeah Centre which was co-founded by Lightbody back in 2007.
Ed’s Foundation will also support Drake Music Northern Ireland and Hotbox Entertainment.
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The two music stars met with dozens of talented kids at each of those projects, including Charlie, who got to perform Galway Girl to the superstar – singing and playing the guitar and the harmonica interchangeably.
When Charlie told Ed what age he was he replied: “Wow, that’s amazing, I didn’t even pick up a guitar until I was eleven.”
Paul Meldrum is Charlie’s godfather and accompanies him to most of his music events.
“Ed was so impressed with him when he started performing, nodding along and singing away along with him,” Paul told Belfast Telegraph.
Charlie with Ed Sheeran and Gary Lightbody
“Then he chatted to him after saying how amazed he was that he was playing guitar and harmonica at the same time.”
Paul – who calls himself Charlie’s unofficial manager and roadie- explained that he was invited to attend the event after being spotted by Oh Yeah’s CEO Charlotte Dryden at a busking festival in Banbridge last year.
“He has been asked to play at open mic sessions at the centre before and he played at their Christmas market at the end of last year where it’s safe to say he just stole the show!” he said.
“They then asked us to come down and perform on Friday, but it was all very hush hush and we didn’t know who the special guests were going to be.
“He was definitely a bit starstruck when he saw who he was performing for and admits he was a little nervous but mostly very excited.
“He would be quite shy normally, but he just comes alive when you put a microphone in front of him and when he gets up on stage and performs, he just loves it.”
Charlie started attending music lessons by Paul Cassidy just outside Omagh in September 2023 after he started listening to music over lockdown.
“I remember I was looking after him over lockdown and I stuck on the Queen performance at Live Aid in 1985 and he just loved it, he got a broom and pretended it was a microphone and started acting like he was Freddie Mercury singing, he just got into it so much,” said Paul.
“I’d say he could sing before he could talk.”
Since then, the pair would regularly attend live music events and gigs together, but Charlie’s favourite musician is of course The Boss – Bruce Springsteen.
“I’m his number one fan,” he said.
Paul said that when Charlie was five he said that he wanted more than anything to see Springsteen in concert and now, at the age of eight, he has seen him five times in total – twice in Dublin, twice in London and last year in Belfast.
“He is just music mad, he loves it,” he said.
“There is also a Springsteen tribute band called the Seegar Sessions Revival band and we have gone to see them 22 times.
“One time he brought his guitar along and played at the back and the band invited him to the soundcheck where he got to perform on stage with them at the next gig.
“They jokingly said he’s like the fifteenth member of the band!”