Ed Sheeran scrapped half the songs he'd recorded for his new album.
Ed Sheeran
The 'Shape of You' singer hadn't had the reaction he'd hoped for on his third LP when he finished it last summer, so acted on the advice he was given by producer and frequent collaborator Rick Rubin and ditched some of the tracks.
He recalled: "[Rick Rubin] walked out of the house and said, 'Write more songs.'
"I was like, 'Oh, ow.' No one was jumping for joy at the label and I thought there must be a reason. So I looked at it again and scrapped six songs."
And the 25-year-old star wasn't upset by the criticism as he knows the key to longevity is to be willing to take advice.
He told GQ magazine: "It is my vision - but the reason those artists who have a light that shines for five years then disappear is they don't listen to other people.
"I can't think I know everything. I know how to write a song and put together an album of good songs, but sometimes it's difficult to tell which songs should or shouldn't be on an album.
"But ultimately the album has improved because of it."
Ed - who is in a relationship with former school friend Cherry Seaborn - often writes songs that he has no intention of recording because he finds it a useful way of venting his feelings.
He explained: "I get out the darkness in my life through a song.
"There's loads of songs that never get recorded that are just me being in a mood.
"Instead of sending a long email or having an angry phone call, I write a song then bin it. It happened on this album. It's a very good outlet for emotion."
Tagged in Rick Rubin Ed Sheeran