With the release of two new singles, many are saying Ed Sheeran has already saved 2017.
Sheeran dropped two new singles, 'Castle on the Hill' and 'Shape of You', on Friday night (NZ time).
In his first radio interview in two years, the singer-songwriter talked to BBC Radio One about his gap year spent travelling the world.
He went white water rafting in Fiji, burnt his foot in a geyser in Iceland and of course he had a few stories to tell about New Zealand.
"I'd always been to Australia and New Zealand to tour but I've never really looked around, so I did the Barrier Reef and Queenstown."
Sheeran shared a few stories of his travels, two of which involved Kiwi director Peter Jackson and his family.
"Peter Jackson, the guy that does the Lord of the Rings films, he collects World War I planes. He strapped me to the front of one of them standing up and then flew me around."
Jackson has an extensive collection of WWI fighter planes that he displays at the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre near Blenheim.
"He's got a load of them, he's got a museum he has them all in. That was in May, June."
Of course, a trip to New Zealand wouldn't be complete without a bungy jump.
"I was in Queenstown and they were like, 'Shall we go on a bungy jump?' so I said 'I guess... When in Rome'.
"But I'm terrified of heights, and last minute everyone said, 'Okay yeah, I'm not up for it,' but I thought, 'Oh god, I'm going to do it, see if it cures my fear of heights.'"
Not only did he do the jump, he did it with Jackson's daughter Katie.
"I did do it, it was horrible. But the thing is, they guys that do it are like 17, 18 and they mess with you a little bit, they try and grab you [and push you off], it was really bad.
"For the next month I just had dreams of falling."
It is thought Sheeran was first introduced to the director after he attended one of Ed's gigs with Katie in 2013.
His song 'I See Fire' featured in Jackson's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in 2013.
Newshub.
