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Teacher abandons holiday to duet with Ed Sheeran

Neve Gordon-Farleigh
Shaun Whitmore/BBC A man with red hair and a white T-shirt plays a guitar alongside a woman with blonde hair and a black top.Shaun Whitmore/BBC
Lianne Kaye flew home from her holiday early to sing a rendition of The A Team with Suffolk singer Ed Sheeran

A music teacher who flew home early from her holiday to perform at a surprise gig said she did not know she would be duetting with Ed Sheeran until she arrived.

Lianne Kaye, 30, from Chelmsford, Essex, flew from Malaga, Spain, after just two days abroad and battled a delayed flight and sleep deprivation to perform on 5 June at Ipswich Waterfront.

Fans were treated to a pop-up gig that was teased by Sheeran the night before on Instagram, prompting hundreds of people to gather to hear the singer from Framlingham, Suffolk.

Kaye said: "It was honestly unbelievable... I didn't know that was going to happen until on the day, we sort of figured it out the evening before."

Sheeran surprised fans after spending nine months in the US and said he was "so happy" to be back in Suffolk.

Posting on his Instagram story the night before, he said: "Ipswich! 9am tomorrow at the waterfront, see you there x."

Zoie O'Brien/BBC Lianne Kaye smiling while performing with her guitar at Ipswich Waterfront. She has blonde hair and is looking towards the camera while strumming her guitar. She has crowds of people behind her.Zoie O'Brien/BBC
Despite being contacted weeks before the performance, she said the "penny dropped" that she would be performing alongside Ed Sheeran the day before

Kaye, who is originally from Holbrook, Suffolk, said she had been contacted by a manufacturer, who had organised the gig, weeks prior asking her to perform.

"They wanted to champion upcoming songwriters and artists," she said.

While Sheeran is a household name, he started his career busking in Ipswich and playing to tiny audiences in pubs around the county.

When speaking to BBC Look East, Kaye said: "I was sat in the airport and my flight was delayed. My best friend sent a screenshot to our group chat and it was Ed [Sheeran] he put on his stories he was going to be in Ipswich and she was like 'I don't think you're going to be on your own'.

"That's when the penny dropped," she said.

Shaun Whitmore/BBC Ed Sheeran performing at Ipswich Waterfront. He is performing to crowds of hundreds of people with a microphone and guitar. He is wearing a white T-shirt and is looking at the camera and smiling.Shaun Whitmore/BBC
Sheeran played his songs including Thinking Out Loud, Shivers, Photograph and Perfect

Kaye has performed at BBC Introducing Suffolk and opened for Sir Tom Jones at Colchester Castle Park last year.

After singing some of Sheeran's songs with him, she described the experience like "jamming with a mate".

She said: "I love what I do so I'm just really, really lucky I'm able to teach and do music all the time and share my songs and my passion."

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