ICYMI: Ed Sheeran’s “Shape Of You” Was Originally For Rihanna

In case you missed it: Ed Sheeran is back and he’s better than ever! On Friday, the English soul singer returned to the scene with two brand new singles titled “Castle On The Hill” and “Shape Of You”. Although both singles sound great, “Shape Of You” is the release that caught my attention. “Shape Of You” is an upbeat pop track following the most recent trend of dancehall/pop fusion finding Sheeran crooning over the shape of an admirer. “I’m in love with the shape of you / We push and pull like a magnet do / Although my heart is falling too / I’m in love with your body,” he croons over the contagious Steve Mac production. “And last night you were in my room / And now my bedsheets smell like you / Every day discovering something brand new / I’m in love with your body,” he continues. The track was intended for Rihanna but when Sheeran finished writing, he decided to keep it for his forthcoming album.

“[‘Shape of You’] is actually a really random one because I went in to write songs for other people with a guy called Steve Mac and Johnny McDaid, and we were writing this song and I was like ‘this would really work for Rihanna,'” he explained. “And then I started singing lyrics like ‘putting Van The Man on the jukebox’ and I was like ‘well she’s not really going to sing that, is she?’ And then we sort of decided halfway through that we were just going to make it for me.”

Good thing he decided to keep it because “Shape Of You” has enough appeal to crossover into various genres! Perfect for a highly anticipated comeback! “Shape Of You” and “Castle On The Hill” set the pace for Sheeran’s forthcoming album Divide. Definitely looking forward to what’s next! Check out Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape Of You” below!