Shape of You

Ed Sheeran released "Shape of You" on January 6, 2017 as a lead single from his third studio album ÷. The track marked a shift toward dance-pop and tropical house, featuring a marimba-driven melody and Caribbean rhythms that distinguished it from his earlier acoustic work. Written by Sheeran alongside Steve Mac and Johnny McDaid, the song also includes credits for the writers of TLC's 1999 hit "No Scrubs" due to an interpolation of its chord progression.

The single achieved massive commercial success, spending 12 weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart and reaching the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States for 12 non-consecutive weeks. It became the first song in history to surpass 3 billion streams on Spotify in December 2021. By mid-2026, reports indicated the track was on a trajectory to overtake "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd as the most-streamed song on the platform.

Critically, the song won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically in 2018. It faced significant legal scrutiny regarding copyright infringement but ultimately prevailed in court. In April 2022, a judge ruled that the song did not infringe on Sami Switch's 2015 track "Oh Why," and subsequent rulings in 2026 confirmed Sheeran's victory in related plagiarism litigation. [edit]