Ed Sheeran Reveals Rihanna Inspired His Major Hits

Ed Sheeran recently shared that his popular songs "Shape of You" and "Love Yourself" were originally intended for Rihanna. He disclosed this during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on March 26.

The 34-year-old artist stated that the hit "Shape of You," released in 2017, was crafted with the 37-year-old "Diamonds" singer in mind. He emphasized the inspiration he gained from Rihanna’s musical taste, saying, "Rihanna has the best taste out of anyone." Sheeran crafted "Love Yourself" alongside Benny Blanco with Rihanna as his ideal artist for the track.

Sheeran noted how he often gears his songwriting toward Rihanna, explaining, "In the songwriting community, you're always writing songs to pitch to Rihanna." He has consistently aimed to create tracks for her over his musical career.

"Shape of You" became a monumental success, surpassing 4.2 billion streams on Spotify. Initially, Sheeran thought the song "didn't really feel like it suited" him. After changes were made, his perspective shifted. He admitted to needing to reframe his mindset, as the song was written with someone else in mind.

Fallon commented that Rihanna acts as a "muse" for him, to which Sheeran agreed. He added that numerous songwriters have drawn inspiration from her talent. "I promise you, there'll be so many songwriters out there whose best song came from trying to write a Rihanna song," he asserted.

While many artists channel their creativity with Rihanna's influence, she has not released an album since 2016's Anti. However, she mentioned that a new album is in progress. During a February 2025 interview with Harper's Bazaar, Rihanna assured her fans that the wait for her ninth album will be worthwhile.

"I cannot put up anything mediocre," she stated. After eight long years, Rihanna hopes to deliver something special. She confirmed she has been in the studio throughout this time but felt that none of her work resonated properly.

"I’ve been in the studio the whole eight years, but it didn’t hit me," she expressed.

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