Jake Shimabukuro considers his new cover of Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" -- premiering below from his upcoming album The Greatest Day -- to be a tip of the hat, or the ukulele, from one loopy guy to another.
The two have never met, but both use looping and sequencing technology as part of their live performances. "He's great," Shimabukuro tells Billboard. "He's such a master at using the looper; I just love watching him and how he creates everything all by himself. It's really phenomenal. I do a lot of looping in my live shows, too, so doing (the song) felt like a kind of nod to him and what he does."
Despite their commonality, Shimabukuro has never met Sheeran, nor has he received any feedback about his version of "Shape of You." "I think it probably just went to his publisher or something," Shimabukuro says. "So many people cover his music I doubt he has time to listen to every cover."