Taylor Swift to drop new album this year, says Ed Sheeran

Singer Ed Sheeran poses for photographers upon arrival at the Brit Awards 2017 in London on Feb. 22, 2017.  (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)

Will Taylor Swift release another chart-topping album despite her noticeable absence from the stage? Ed Sheeran thinks so.

The British singer-songwriter disclosed in an interview with BBC News that his upcoming album, “Divide,” was released this year to bypass intense competition from albums by other pop stars.

“I have a feeling about it,” he told the news site. “Seventeen is my lucky number, and everyone I was scared of releasing of albums around me released them all last year — people like Beyoncé and the Weekend and Bruno Mars.”

LISTEN: Ed Sheeran raps on new song ‘Eraser’

Sheeran, 26, bluntly hinted at an upcoming major musical milestone of one of his close buddies, Taylor Swift.

“Taylor [Swift] isn’t going to be releasing until probably the end of this year,” he revealed. “Christmas is the smartest time to release because that’s when everyone buys records.”

And yes, Sheeran has a simple answer to fans if he wants to “give away” his compositions for other artists to sing. “So, I’ve got a full year of just all Ed, all the time,” he ended.

Both Sheeran and Swift teamed up for the song “Everything Has Changed” back in 2012.

Just these past few weeks, Sheeran regaled fans with a chain of singles “How Would You Feel,” “Eraser,” “Castle on the Hill,” and “Shape of You,” all part of his new album releasing on Friday, March 3.

Swift, who last dropped her Grammy-winning album “1989” in 2014, recently collaborated with Zayn Malik for “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever,” a soundtrack for the film “Fifty Shades Darker.”  Gianna Francesca Catolico /ra

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