LOS ANGELES, April 7 (UPI) -- In a marked departure from his usual folksy singer-songwriter shtick, Ed Sheeran teamed up with Pharrell for an R&B-style track that sounds a lot like Justin Timberlake.
"Sing," the first single off of Sheeran's forthcoming second album, X, debuted online Monday.
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The 23-year-old recently admitted to Billboard that he did channel the Mirrors crooner.
"I love Justified and FutureSex/LoveSounds, so I took inspiration from those."
"The last album was more young and dewy-eyed and innocent," he said. "I've still got very nice songs on this record. But some of them are bite-y."
Listen to the Pharrell-produced track below:
[MTV, Billboard]