In a recent interview with Charlamagne Tha God on YouTube, Sheeran revealed the heavy influence his wife Cherry Seaborn had in the conception of No.6 Collaborations Project.

In fact, Sheeran used the album as an opportunity to confirm the rumours of his marriage, referring to Seaborn as his wife in the opening verse in ‘Remember the Name.’

“It was actually before me and Cherry got married and I knew that we’d be married by the point that the song came out so I said, ‘Watch out the lyrics might get twisted / My wife wears red boots but without the lipstick,’” explained Sheeran.

In the following line, he retorts, “I'm a private guy and you know nothin' 'bout my business,” a nod to his notorious ability to hide his private life from the limelight. However, the album, he said, reflects a deep sense of insecurity and embarrassment.

He described that in writing for the album, he wanted every line to reflect those insecurities. “’Ugh God, should I be telling people this?’ That’s the kind of vibe I wanted to have.”

That vibe is most clear in ‘Best Part of Me,’ where Sheeran reveals his insecurities surrounding his relationship with Seaborn.

“I constantly wake up every day with Cherry and I’m just like, why the fuck are you with me? Like you could literally be with whoever you wanted, and you chose me,” admits Sheeran. “I’m saying all of the things that I think are wrong with me, but you still want to be with me, and I just find that amazing.”

He says that among his biggest challenges in songwriting is finding new angles to write about love. “I’ve done ‘Thinking out Loud,’ I’ve done ‘Perfect,’ I’ve done the love songs. It’s about finding different angles to do that.”

That’s where ‘Cross Her,’ came from; a new take on love that empowers Seaborn.

“She likes it, she likes it a lot. I think she likes the message of it,” Sheeran explains of his wife’s reaction. “It makes her feel like badass.”

Watch the full interview here: