Ed Sheeran doesn't believe 'Love Yourself' would have been "as big" if he hadn't given it to Justin Bieber.
The 'Bad Habits' hitmaker wrote the Canadian singer's 2015 chart-topping hit and though he knows if he performs it himself it will always get a good reaction, he's still happy he gave away the track as he doesn't think it would have been as successful if it hadn't been a pivotal part of Justin's comeback.
Speaking to Jack Antonoff about favourite songs they've written for other artists, he said backstage at Florida's Audacy Beach Festival: "I feel like the one that is the slam dunk, whenever I'm at a gig, to play someone else's song that I had written would be Justin Bieber’s 'Love Yourself' because it was so massive for him.
"I think it's his biggest song... anywhere in the world, if I picked up a guitar and played that, they'd be like 'Oh my god, you wrote that!'.
"People always say, ‘Why didn’t you keep it?’ And to be honest, he was on such a roll at that point that I think it wouldn’t have been as big if I’d sung it.
"He had his whole period of his life that was a bit...you know what I mean…. And America loves a comeback story."
Meanwhile, Ed is giving some thought to his touring schedule too and recently revealed his upcoming 'Mathematics' live run - which kicks off in Dublin in April 2022 - will last five years before he looks to be more selective.
Revealing his wife Cherry Seaborn and their daughter Lyra - who they welcomed into the world in August 2020 - will be joining him, he said: "I'm bringing my family with me. My daughter is one and when she starts school I'm going to want to be settled and I'm not going to want to go on a five-year world tour.
"So now is the time to do it. I'm going to do it until she turns five or six and then stop. Then I think I'll tour in school holidays."
