Ed Sheeran Says He’s Always Trying to Write Songs for Rihanna

In a candid appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Ed Sheeran shared that he’s “always” trying to write songs for none other than Rihanna, who he believes has “the best taste” in music.

This revelation came as Sheeran reflected on his career and the song-writing process, offering an inside look into his creative approach.

Sheeran recalled that when he was crafting his massive hit “Shape of You,” he initially had Rihanna in mind as the potential performer.

Fallon asked Sheeran about the story behind almost giving the track to the Barbadian superstar, and Sheeran expressed nothing but admiration for her musical taste.

“I think, out of any musician, Rihanna has the best taste out of anyone,”

Sheeran said around the 4:50 mark of the interview.

“She always picks just really, really great songs.”

Over the years, Ed Sheeran has become a sought-after songwriter, with an extensive list of writing credits for other artists.

But despite his success, he’s always been eager to craft a song that could resonate with Rihanna.

“So, as songwriters, within the songwriting community, you’re always writing songs to pitch to Rihanna,”

he explained.

“Every single album that I’ve ever done, I’ve always gone to write, on the side, ‘Let’s try and write a song that we can pitch to Rihanna.'”

Sheeran also revealed that his hit track “Love Yourself,” performed by Justin Bieber, was originally written with Rihanna in mind.

Sheeran’s dedication to crafting the perfect song for Rihanna reflects the respect and admiration he holds for her as an artist.

“I promise you, there’s so many songwriters out there that their best song came from trying to write a Rihanna song,”

he added.

While Sheeran has written countless hits for others, he admitted that “Shape of You” didn’t feel like the right fit for him initially.

“I had to get my head round it, though, because I very much wrote it with someone else in mind,”

he shared.

After making a few changes, however, Sheeran found that the song worked better for him than he originally anticipated.

Rihanna, meanwhile, has not released an album since 2016’s Anti, though she contributed songs like “Lift Me Up” and “Born Again” for the 2022 Black Panther movie soundtrack.

In other exciting news during the interview, Sheeran revealed that his upcoming album will be titled Play.

The title was inspired by an idea he had when he was 18 to release 10 albums, much like director Quentin Tarantino’s plan to make ten films.

Sheeran teased that Play will be followed by albums named Pause, Rewind, Fast-Forward, and Stop, suggesting a concept-driven series that plays on themes of time and creativity.

As fans await the release of Play, it’s clear that Ed Sheeran’s songwriting journey continues to be influenced by his desire to collaborate with the best in the industry—including, of course, Rihanna.

Whether or not they will finally team up remains to be seen, but for now, Sheeran’s commitment to writing for her remains unwavering.