Posted by Nate Jones on 12/08/2012 at 8:04 PM News

The Popdust Files: concerts, ed sheeran, justin bieber, one direction, taylor swift, z100 jingle ball

It was the boy-band battle we’d been hoping for all year, One Direction and the Wanted throwing out their nice-guy posturing and finally engaging in a round of five-on-five fisticuffs when they shared the bill at Z100′s Jingle Ball Friday night. We even made amazing Photoshops detailing exactly how it would all go down!

Alas, though, our dreams were not to be: One Direction and the Wanted apparently coexisted peacefully behind the scenes at Madison Square Garden. Did headliner Justin Bieber, a friend to both acts, sit them down and explain that Commonwealth pop stars need to stick together once they make it to America? That sounds like a funny image, so yes, let’s go with that.

Now that their feud is over (or at least, postponed) both boy bands might do well to watch the throne—we hear there’s a young comer intent on grabbing the Next Great British Heartthrob crown. Specifically, One Direction’s sometimes ally Ed Sheeran, the man behind their recent hit “Little Things.” Could he be plotting a coup? As Rolling Stone reports:

The night’s rising star was the British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, who only ranked a two-song set but whose imprint was felt throughout the night. He co-wrote One Direction’s self-esteem-boosting “Little Things”; he came out to assist Swift on “Everything Has Changed,” a Red track he assisted on. Screams greeted every mention of his name; his time on stage was accompanied by much yelling as well. Whether or not Sheeran, an unassuming, youthful-looking dude with a guitar whose strumming has a strong hip-hop influence, will serve as the new model for teen idols will be up for debate in 2013, but he was certainly the evening’s breakout star.

Let’s run down Sheeran’s appeal. He’s creative, as he writes his own songs and sometimes other people’s too. He’s sensitive, of course, as all singer-songwriters must be. And, well let’s just say he’s a little more “attainable” than the One Direction lads. Sounds like a threat to us. Be careful, Harry: Do you really feel safe letting this guy duet onstage with your girl? We always have seen a little Richard III in Ed…