British superstar Ed Sheeran has revealed that people shouldn't hate on pop music because it's very important in today's culture and has such a huge influence over all kinds of music. 

During a new interview with Radio.com before his performance at New York's Ellis Island last week, the star explained there's nothing wrong with pop music and he doesn't understand people's need to criticise it:

“Pop (and, especially, hip-hop) producers are as important as rock auteurs, Beyoncé is as worthy of serious consideration as Bruce Springsteen, and ascribing shame to pop pleasure is itself a shameful act. I’d say pop music is still the No. 1 music that people listen to and has been for the past 70 years, 80 years — however many years,” Sheeran said. “As long as it’s popular, it’s pop music I guess.”

Earlier this month, the 'Lego House' hitmaker told Sugarscapethat he has plans to write with One Direction again in the future, but he would only want to work with them one at a time, instead of getting into the studio with all five lads: 

"I don't know what I could do with five people in a room. Like, if it was one on one, if I wrote five different songs, one with each of them, then it would work, but I'm a control freak when it comes to writing songs and too many cooks doesn't work. I'd want it to go in a certain direction - no pun intended – and, like, everyone has an opinion and I wouldn't want it dragged all those different ways. So yes, I would work with each of them individually, but not five of them at once."

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Check out Sheeran's new song 'Afire Love' here: