Ed Sheeran has revealed that he had to win over the doubters when booking gigs at New York's iconic Madison Square Garden.

The British singer-songwriter performed three successful shows at the massive venue in October and November last year.

However, he told Billboard that his label and others were initially unsure that the 'Sing' man could sell out the venue.

Sheeran said: "That's why I made them hold three [dates]. I know my fan base and I can tell when something is going well. And record sales didn't mirror ticket sales.

"People were very doubtful that I could sell out one Madison Square Garden [gig], but my reasoning for doing it was I wanted to prove a point."

The Brit meanwhile unveiled his new single 'Sing' on Monday (April 7) as he builds up to the release of his second album 'x', which will be released on June 23.

Listen to Ed Sheeran's 'Sing' below: