Get Ready to Feel Lots of Feelings

It’s surprising to learn that world famous singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has never been the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, particularly given their propensity for shining a light on talented up and comers. It seems as though Sheeran has been labeled “up and coming” for about three years now. But this Saturday will be Sheeran’s first time on SNL, wielding his special brand of awkward hoodied charm on the Studio 8H stage alongside host Seth Rogen. Just last week, SNL hosted another young British singer-songwriter, Sam Shepard. Of course, Shepard is a little more fresh on the scene than Sheeran who debuted his first album + (yes, that's just a plus sign) in 2011, which promptly went quintuple — five times! — platinum in the U.K. He went on to perform at the Closing Ceremonies of the London Olympics, tour with Taylor Swift and sell out Madison Square Garden. Not bad for a “newcomer.”

Unfortunately, he hasn’t put out an album since +…but that’s all about to change and this SNL performance seems to be holding a key to the release of his sophomore album sometime this summer. Just one day after announcing her would be performing on SNL, where he promised to debut new music on his Twitter, Sheeran tweeted out a cryptic message that most have assumed is the release date for his long awaited second album, x (pronounced "multiply").

Since then, Sheeran has given a few more teases of x that tell us we have plenty to look forward to from the performance, and fingers crossed, a lot to look forward to on "7/4/14." In case you need an Ed Sheeran 101 refresher course, here are a few things to catch you up on his insane ride to the top and a few things to look out for come (Liiiiive from New York, it’s) Saturday night:

If you’re not sure if you’ve heard him, you have

Just let the sounds of “A Team” and “Give Me Love” take you back to Summer 2012 in your car (or maybe you’re already one of the 150,000,000+ viewers):

The kid has the vocal chops to support his success

Check him out live singing traditional song "The Parting Glass."

And the friends in high places don't hurt either

He's A self proclaimed Tolkien nerd

SNL is about the only venue Sheeran missed when showcasing his contribution to the Desolation of Smaug soundtrack in November 2013.

He loves a big reveal

Sheeran first began debuting tracks from x at his live shows, like "Tenerife Sea."

And SNL will give us something new

The new track we can most likely count on Sheeran performing alongside a classic on SNL is "Sing," which he officially debuted this week.

He's dropping hints

Take a look at the track list Sheeran published on his Instagram to make your own guesses.