Ed Sheeran credits Rihanna for inspiring Shape of You while celebrating the anniversary of his album Divide

Ed Sheeran reflects on the seventh anniversary of his acclaimed album. The singer-songwriter's third studio release, ÷ (pronounced Divide), reached the milestone on Sunday. To honor the occasion, he took to Instagram to share several photos capturing moments from the album's creation and release. Notably, he also expressed gratitude to Rihanna for her inspiration behind the chart-topping single Shape of You.

Sheeran kicked off his photo carousel with a lively shot of himself and the 36-year-old superstar at the 2017 Grammys. The duo seemed to be enjoying themselves, with the "Work" singer sporting a particularly wide grin.

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Origin of Shape of You

When the song was released, an ode to Sheeran's wife Cherry Seaborn, he disclosed that it was initially intended for the Barbados artist. During a 2017 BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show interview, he mentioned that the track came about somewhat spontaneously while collaborating with co-writers.

Initially, Sheeran thought the song would be perfect for Rihanna, but halfway through, he and his team decided to keep the song for himself. The British star reminisced extensively about the success of Shape of You in his anniversary throwback post.

Memorable Moments Captured

He also featured a photo with dancer Jennie Pegouskie, his co-star in the music video for the track, and another with some of the song’s co-writers, Johnny McDaid of Snow Patrol and Steve Mac. In the latter, the trio posed together with Sheeran holding up a bottle of champagne in celebration of the fan-favorite reaching No. 1 on the charts.

The anniversary post also showcased pictures with Damien Hirst, the artist behind the Divide cover art, U.K. rapper Stormzy, and actress Zoey Deutch, who featured in the “Perfect” music video, alongside various other snapshots.

Divide premiered at the top of the Billboard 200 chart, generating two No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 with Perfect and Shape of You, the latter maintaining the peak position for 12 weeks. The album clinched the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album, while Shape of You secured the trophy for Best Pop Solo Performance.

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