Ed Sheeran ends One Direction writing

Ed Sheeran won't be penning tracks for One Direction's new album because the boyband stars can now write songs themselves.

The 24-year-old The A Team singer penned several tracks for the British band, including Little Things and Over Again for their 2012 LP Take Me Home and 18, which appears on 2014 release Four.

But ahead of One Direction's forthcoming album Made in the A.M., Ed has revealed his songwriting duties are over for the band.

"They've gotten to a point where they know how to write songs," he told MTV News.

"Harry (Styles) was 16 when I first met him... but now he's 21 and has written with everyone in the world and learned how to write songs, so they don't really need as much help anymore. They can kind of do their own thing."

Ed claims writing for One Direction has been an organic experience for him in the past, and he had a breakthrough with 18 as he knew the song was perfect for them.

"I was in Denmark and I wrote it in my hotel bathroom and I was like, 'This sounds like a One Direction song," he recalled.

"And I emailed it to them, and they were like, 'I really like it,' so it wasn't even me having to write a song. It was just like, I'll see what they think."

Ed has a number of other exciting professional opportunities on the go right now, as he is currently preparing to co-host the MTV European Music Awards in Milan, Italy with Orange is the New Black actress Ruby Rose on 25 October (15).

Redhead Ed could have a busy night as he is also nominated for the Best Male and Best Live Act awards at the event.

Both Ed and Ruby have a difficult act to follow, as the 2014 ceremony, which was hosted by Nicki Minaj, was the "most widely distributed show in MTV EMA history" after getting a 17 per cent increase in ratings.