Jethro Sheeran Biography: Age, Music Career, Alonestar Story and Ed Sheeran Family Feud

Jethro Sheeran has spent more than two decades building a career across music, production and entertainment, although many people first discover his name because of his famous family connection. Known professionally as Alonestar, the Bristol-born rapper and producer is Ed Sheeran’s cousin and collaborated with him before Ed became one of the biggest pop stars in the world. Born in January 1982, Jethro Callow Sheeran grew up surrounded by music and became particularly interested in hip-hop, reggae and the distinctive sounds associated with Bristol. Before concentrating fully on recording, he also worked in fashion modelling, appearing in commercial campaigns and signing with established agencies. His career later expanded through collaborations, independent releases and charting projects. Alonestar became associated with artists from several genres and gained particular attention for the reggae compilation Tropical House Cruises to Jamaica, which reached the top of the Billboard Reggae Albums chart. More recently, Jethro has attracted renewed attention because of a very public disagreement with Ed Sheeran. What was once a musical partnership between relatives has developed into a complicated family and professional rift. ## Who Is Jethro Sheeran? Jethro Callow Sheeran is a British rapper, musician, songwriter, producer and former fashion model who performs under the name Alonestar. He was born in Bristol, England, in January 1982 and attended Cotham School. Bristol’s music scene became an important influence on his sound, particularly its connections with trip-hop, reggae, electronic music and alternative hip-hop. Alonestar’s music does not sit comfortably inside one genre. His songs have blended hip-hop, reggae, urban pop, electronic production and more atmospheric Bristol-inspired sounds. That willingness to move between genres became one of the defining features of his career. Despite his own catalogue, Jethro is frequently introduced as Ed Sheeran’s cousin. The family connection is genuine, but his music career began years before Ed became an international pop superstar. ## His Early Interest in Music Jethro grew up listening to a mix of hip-hop and Jamaican music. Artists from reggae culture were particularly influential, while Bristol’s own musical identity also helped shape the sound he eventually developed. He began pursuing music seriously around 2000 when he formed the hip-hop duo LOCKDOWN with Lee Stafford. The group gave Jethro early experience performing and developing songs before he began putting more energy into a solo career. Eventually, the name Alonestar became his main professional identity. The stage name allowed him to build a separate musical profile while experimenting with different styles rather than being tied to one traditional hip-hop format. ## Jethro Sheeran Worked as a Model Music was not Jethro’s only early career. Before establishing himself more seriously as Alonestar, he worked as a fashion and commercial model. He was represented by agencies including Storm, Nevs and MOT Models and appeared in advertising work associated with major international brands. His modelling résumé has been linked with campaigns involving names such as Calvin Klein, Prada and Coca-Cola. That period gave him professional experience in front of cameras and introduced him to entertainment and creative industries before music became his main focus. He also gained some acting and promotional-video experience during those years. Still, recording and songwriting eventually became the area where Jethro wanted to concentrate most of his energy. ## His Early Music With Ed Sheeran Jethro and Ed Sheeran shared a musical connection before Ed’s global breakthrough. The cousins spent time writing and recording together, with Ed appearing on several Alonestar releases. One of their best-known early collaborations was “Raise Em Up,” originally released around 2010. Ed also appeared on tracks including “Real Life” and “All Falls Down.” Jethro, meanwhile, has been associated with early recordings from Ed’s own career. Their collaboration is particularly interesting when viewed today because both men were still developing professionally when some of the material was created. Ed would later move into stadium-level pop success, while Jethro continued working through independent music, production and collaborations across hip-hop and reggae. ## EMI Deal and the Warrior EP A major early career step came in 2011 when Jethro signed a publishing agreement connected with EMI. Around this period, he released the Warrior EP. The project included collaborations with artists such as Rosie Ribbons and Jaja Soze and further demonstrated Jethro’s interest in combining rap with melodic and electronic elements. Ed Sheeran was also connected to music from this stage of Jethro’s career. For Alonestar, the EMI association gave him greater industry visibility and provided a more established platform after years of independent work. He continued releasing singles and EPs after Warrior while also developing relationships with other musicians and producers. ## Tropical House Cruises to Jamaica Became a Major Success One of Alonestar’s most notable commercial achievements came through Tropical House Cruises to Jamaica. The reggae-focused compilation included a large collection of established artists, with contributors connected to names such as Sean Paul, Damian Marley, Stephen Marley, Sean Kingston and Ed Sheeran. Jethro was also involved in the project. The compilation reached No. 1 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart and remained near the top of the ranking for an extended period. Reports surrounding the release have described it as spending several weeks at No. 1 before continuing to perform strongly in the chart’s upper positions. That achievement gave Jethro one of the clearest chart credentials of his career. It also strengthened his connection with reggae, a genre he had listened to since childhood. ## Alonestar Has Worked With Major Artists Throughout his career, Alonestar has built a long list of collaborations and professional connections. His work has crossed into hip-hop, reggae, pop and electronic music, bringing him into projects associated with artists from several generations. Names linked with his music over the years include Snoop Dogg, DaBaby, The Game, Pusha T and other internationally recognized performers. Jethro’s approach has often been collaborative. Instead of relying only on solo albums, he has frequently worked through remixes, compilation projects, featured performances and production. That strategy has allowed his catalogue to move between different audiences. His later releases included Sunshine and Rain, while his music activity continued through newer singles and collaborations during the mid-2020s. In 2025, releases associated with Alonestar included “Rising Star” and “All Starz,” keeping him active more than two decades after his earliest recording work. ## Why Did Jethro and Ed Sheeran Fall Out? Jethro and Ed Sheeran’s relationship has become considerably more complicated in recent years. One major public disagreement emerged around “Raise Em Up,” the song they originally recorded together. Jethro later used Ed’s name and image in promotional artwork connected with remixed versions of the track. According to Jethro, Warner Music subsequently demanded that Ed’s image and name be removed from the artwork. Rather than entering an expensive legal dispute, Jethro changed the artwork. He publicly expressed frustration about what happened and criticized his cousin in unusually personal terms. At other points, Jethro had played down reports of a feud, suggesting that tabloid coverage had exaggerated the situation. By 2026, however, the disagreement had clearly become much more public. ## Their Feud Became Public Again The family dispute attracted another wave of attention during controversy surrounding Ed Sheeran’s tour in 2026. Jethro publicly criticized Ed and later appeared for a lengthy interview in which he discussed both their family relationship and past music disagreements. During the interview, Jethro used strong language to describe his cousin and claimed that their relationship had been difficult for years. Those comments were Jethro’s own allegations and opinions. Ed has not publicly provided a detailed point-by-point response to all of his cousin’s claims. That distinction matters because a private family dispute can quickly become difficult to separate from the public accusations surrounding it. What is clear is that the cousins who once recorded music together are no longer presenting themselves as close collaborators. ## Jethro Sheeran’s Family Connection to Ed Sheeran Jethro is widely described as Ed Sheeran’s cousin. Their family connection has naturally attracted more interest as Ed’s fame grew. Jethro has said they spent time together when they were younger and shared an interest in music before their careers moved in very different directions. That early relationship produced genuine collaborations that remain part of both artists’ histories. However, Jethro’s biography is not limited to being related to Ed. He had already entered music through LOCKDOWN, modelling and independent recording before his cousin became internationally famous. His later career included a publishing deal, charting reggae projects, production work and collaborations with established artists. ## Where Is Jethro Sheeran Now? Jethro Sheeran remains active professionally as Alonestar. His more recent years have combined new music with renewed public interest in his earlier collaborations and his relationship with Ed. At 44 in 2026, Jethro has now spent more than two decades moving between recording, songwriting and production. His career has not followed the conventional path of a mainstream pop star. Instead, it has moved through underground hip-hop, reggae compilations, modelling, production and independent releases. The Billboard success connected with Tropical House Cruises to Jamaica remains one of his most recognizable achievements, while songs recorded with Ed Sheeran continue to draw attention because of everything that later happened between the cousins. For anyone searching for a Jethro Sheeran biography, the story is more complicated than simply being related to a superstar. He began as a Bristol musician with a love of hip-hop and reggae, worked as a model, developed the Alonestar identity and built collaborations across several genres. His connection with Ed Sheeran undoubtedly brought additional attention, but Jethro’s own career stretches across more than 20 years and includes music, production, chart success and a very public family story that is still developing.