Muse's Matt Bellamy says Ed Sheeran is inspiring the group's new music

Bellamy says he has been 'quite interested in what Ed Sheeran does with the looping systems'

Matt Bellamy of Muse performs on stage during 2019 iHeartRadio ALTer Ego at The Forum on 19 January, 2019 in Inglewood, California. ((Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for iHeartMedia))

Matt Bellamy has named an unexpected source of inspiration for Muse‘s next music: Ed Sheeran.

The frontman told Guitar World he has come to appreciate certain aspects of Sheeran’s sound, and that he’s looking to explore similar ideas.

I’ve been quite interested in what Ed Sheeran does with the looping systems. That’s something I’ve never really dabbled in, but I’d like to,” Bellamy said.

“Especially now, with the access I have to synth sounds coming from the guitar.

“So I haven’t really begun yet, but at some point I like the idea of experimenting more with getting some looping sounds going and exploring that side of it.”

Sheeran has previously explained that he uses a loop station during his live shows, as opposed to a backing track.

A looping pedal enables musicians to record a sound once before it is played over and over again, with the possibility of layering additional sounds to create an entire track.

Muse released their latest album, Simulation Theory, in November 2018.

The band just started a world tour in Houston, Texas, on 22 February, and they are set to continue through October 2019.