English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran on Monday recalled the journey behind the making of his latest song Sapphire, revealing that he got in touch with Arijit Singh after watching Aashiqui 2 and listening to his song Tum Hi Ho.

“I first became aware of @arijitsingh music when I watched Aashiqui 2 and heard Tum Hi Ho. I was proper spellbound by his voice, the song, the scene in the movie. I checked him out, and got in touch, and said whenever you wanna sing together I’m down. He was playing London, so I went to guest with him and sing Perfect there, it was an incredible show,” the 34-year-old singer wrote in a heartfelt note on Instagram.

“I played him an early version of Sapphire in the dressing room, and he instantly had ideas for instruments and melodies. We then were pen pals over email for a bit, until I was in India for a tour. I said to him, we should finish this in person, and he said, please come to my home town so I can show you my home and culture,” he added.

In February, the singer met with Arijit after his concert in Mumbai and enjoyed a scooty ride at the latter’s hometown in Jiyaganj, West Bengal.

Sharing that he was travelling with his dad during his India tour this year, Sheeran said, “Me and him got a flight to Kolkata, then a 5 and a half hour drive to his home town. We arrived, went on a barge down the river which was stunning, then got a scooty back to the studio where we finished the song.”

Arijit taught Sheeran how to speak Punjabi and play the sitar, the Perfect singer mentioned in his note. “We then had dinner, and scooted around the village to see the sunset and moon with my dad,” he wrote.

Sheeran said that it was a “proper core memory” with his dad that he will always cherish, and that he is honoured to have shared it with Arijit.

“He’s one of the most talented humans I've ever met, and I'm so grateful he shared his talent with me for this song,” Sheeran said about Arijit.

A full Punjabi version of Sapphire will be out in a couple of weeks, Sheeran announced.

Fans flooded the comments section with their love and excitement. “Bro, in no world did you watch Aashiqui 2,” one of them wrote. “An iconic duo,” another commented.

Singer-songwriter Armaan Malik wrote, “Best people.” Farah Khan Kunder commented, “Loved this the moment I heard it .. a year ago.”

Earlier this year, the Thinking Out Loud singer visited India for the India leg of his Mathematics tour. This year, Sheeran first performed in Pune’s Yash Lawns on January 30, followed by a concert in Hyderabad on February 2. The singer was joined by Oscar-winning music composer A.R. Rahman during his Chennai concert on February 5.

Sheeran then performed in Bengaluru on February 8 and February 9. He also enthralled fans with his music in Shillong on February 12 and in Delhi on February 15.

Previously, Sheeran had performed in India in March last year. Before that, he visited India during his x Tour in 2015 and his Divide Tour at Mumbai’s Jio Gardens in 2017.