Ed Sheeran Explains The Meaning Behind His Biting 'New Man' Lyrics

One of Ed Sheeran‘s most-talked about new songs is “New Man.”

The diss track of sorts appears on his new record Divide, but you may be surprised to learn that it’s not about anyone specific.

“You know what? This song is the only song that I allowed someone else to have an input on it going on the album,” Ed told Beats 1′s Zane Lowe. “This was meant to be a bonus track and the label was like, ‘you have to have that on it.’ But the thing is, it’s not actually about anyone. That was my point, we were writing with Jessie Ware and then suddenly we finished the song, she said why won’t we try and write something for you’ and I said ‘I’ve had this idea about writing the f-ckboy anthem. We all know them. We’ve all been them at some point.”

“I was basically like let’s write a list of the things, you know when your ex leaves you and the first guy she gets with – not the guy she ends up in the relationship with, but the first guy she gets with – But what’s he like. Well, he’s usually wearing Ed Hardy jeans – that’s a standard,” Ed explained. “So he’s spent 500 pounds on jeans, goes to the gym at least six times a week, he wears boat shoes with no socks on his feet. He’s got his eyebrows plucked and his a–hole bleached…We were just throwing things out there.”

Ed wasn’t sure he wanted to include the song on the album, but the label really wanted it.

“My argument to the label was ‘I think this is my seminal album that I’m going to be remembered for and do I really want to be singing about bleached arseholes when I’m sixty?” Ed joked.

In case you haven’t already, listen to “New Man” below!