Two songs that Ed Sheeran cast aside from his new album were responsible for mounting Justin Bieber's comeback.
In a US radio interview with Carson Daly, the British songwriter revealed he penned both hit singles "Cold Water" and "Love Yourself" which Bieber later picked up for himself.
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Ed Sheeran forgets writing Bieber hit
It's the songs that Ed Sheeran forgets that makes Justin Bieber the best.
Sheeran said he wrote both chart-topping singles for his upcoming third studio album Divide, out March 3, but they didn't make the cut.
"That was a song I had written for Divide. It just wouldn't have made it," Sheeran said of "Love Yourself". "And then Justin took it and did his thing on it, and released it as a single and made it what it is."
![Ed Sheeran in London on January 6 after a one-year hiatus from public life.](/web/20170115161843im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/q/m/l/i/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtqlth.png/1484309948045.jpg)
"So going from a song that would have never been released to the biggest song of last year – it just became Billboard's number 1 of 2016 of the whole year, and nominated for song of the year at the Grammys – it just shows you that you shouldn't always write stuff off."
So busy penning top hits has the 25-year-old singer been, he couldn't even remember writing Cold Water until he heard the chart-topper on the radio.
"It was a song I must have half-written somewhere at a time where I was writing a lot of songs and I did it at [producer] Benny Blanco's house."
"Then I got an email from [Major Lazer's] Diplo just being like 'Yo! That Cold Water song is dope! Can I have it?' And I was like, 'I have no idea what you're talking about,' so I just didn't reply.
![Justin Bieber performs at the Billboard Music Awards in May 2016.](/web/20170115161843im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/w/5/2/5/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtqlth.png/1484309948045.jpg)
"And then he emailed and was like, 'Justin wants to hop on the Cold Water song. Is that cool?' And I'm just like, 'What are you talking about?'
"And then the song came out and it was number one and I was like 'Oh, that song!' I remember doing it, but it was really, really slow. I remember hearing it and being like 'That kind of sounds like me. Oh wait, it was me."
"Love Yourself" was the third single on Bieber's comeback album Purpose, released November 2015, and reached number 1 in more than 25 countries.
It also spent 24 weeks in the US top ten singles chart before being nominated for two Grammy Awards.
"Cold Water", released July 2016 at the apex of Bieber's comeback, was released by electronic group Major Lazer and featured the Canadian singer's vocals.
Meanwhile, Sheeran has just released two singles, "Castle on the Hill" and "Shape of You" - his first in three years - which shot to the top of the charts last week ahead of Divide's release.
Sheeran returned to the spotlight on December 13 after a year-long break from social media with the new album which he spent the previous 12 months working on.