Ed Sheeran talks Pharrell single & sex symbol status

Ed Sheeren talks with Billboard about his Justin Timberlake-inspired single, his new album and, even, being a 'ginger'.

On new single 'Sing' he said:
Asked if he might have been unconsciously inspired by Timberlake on "Sing," Sheeran proves willing to go beyond that: "It was pretty close to a direct inspiration," he says. "I love Justified and FutureSex/LoveSounds, so I took inspiration from those."

On his new album:
"The last album was more young and dewy-eyed and innocent," he says. "I've still got very nice songs on this record. But some of them are bite-y. The story in 'Don't' is 100 percent true. I could have gotten nastier - there was more shit that I didn't put in. I was seeing someone for a bit of time, and then they ended up physically involved with one of my friends in the same hotel that we were staying in, while I was downstairs. And I feel like: Treat people how you want to be treated."

On
being a 'ginger':
"Have you ever seen the Harry Potter films? They're very unrealistic, and it's not just about the wizards and the dragons. It's that a ginger could ever have two friends."
There is a point to this. "Gingers got properly sectioned [picked on] in schools," says Sheeran. "It's that racism is totally unacceptable in England, but you've got to take the piss out of someone. It's all right. We will take over the world."