Ed Sheeran Aiming For 14 Songs On New Album; Out February 2014?

Ed Sheeran has revealed in a new interview with The Detroit News that he has written and recorded 40 songs for his long-awaited new album, nine of which he's sure will make the final cut.

The British singer/songwriter also goes on to mention that he's aiming for 14 songs and eyeing a December deadline. The goal is to have the follow-up to + out in February 2014.

An excerpt from the article can found by clicking read more.

"Sheeran is using his time on Swift's tour to craft his second album, the follow-up to 2011's "+." To date, "+" has sold 544,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan; its lead single, "The A-Team," which was nominated for Song of the Year at this year's Grammys, has sold 1.8 million digital copies. Sheeran says the new set is "shaping up good." He's written and recorded 40 songs for the album, nine of which he's sure will make the final cut. He's aiming for 14 songs and eyeing a December deadline, to hopefully have the album out in February 2014.

"It's such a long tour, and it's so spread out, that it's giving me the opportunity to properly put together the second album," Sheeran says of the Swift tour, which runs through September. "It doesn't feel like I'm being rushed in the studio. I get another six months on top of what I've already written to put together the record, which I think is important."