'They have produced something special': Liam Payne has 'collaborated with Ed Sheeran on first solo single in a bid to reach a wider audience than One Direction fans'

His solo career has been put on the back burner in recent weeks, after he welcomed his first child with girlfriend Cheryl in March. 

However Liam Payne is set to return to the music scene with a bang, as he has reportedly co-written his debut single with hitmaker Ed Sheeran.

According to The Sun, the 23-year-old jetted straight to the UK from his recording studio in LA after hearing Ed, 26, had written a song for him - which he hopes will reach a wider audience beyond beloved One Direction fans.

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Dynamic duo: Liam has reportedly co-written his debut single with hitmaker Ed Sheeran

Dynamic duo: Liam Payne is set to return to the music scene with a bang, as he has reportedly co-written his debut single with hitmaker Ed Sheeran

The paper reports that Liam had made the trip to London after discovering the Shape Of You singer had started producing a track with him in mind.

The budding solo artist went on to swiftly record the track with Ed, who has worked on a number of One Direction songs in the past, in what is thought to be a 'clever' move for his career.

A source revealed to the publication: 'Liam and Ed have been friends for years, ever since Ed first wrote for One Direction on their debut album. 

Exciting: The 23-year-old reportedly jetted to the UK from his recording studio in LA after hearing Ed (above) had written a song for him - which he hopes will reach a wider audience

Exciting: The 23-year-old reportedly jetted to the UK from his recording studio in LA after hearing Ed (above) had written a song for him - which he hopes will reach a wider audience

'With Ed's expertise in creating a hit Liam knows they can't go wrong. They have produced something special together.'

The insider went on to explain that the boy band star hopes the single will stretch to a greater audience than One Direction followers, thanks to Ed's huge success and varied fan base.

'Having Ed on board is a clever move too, as it means he will reach music fans beyond just 1D obsessives,' they added. 

Set for stardom: After finding such success with his own music, a source revealed of the Shape of You singer's influence: 'With Ed's expertise in creating a hit Liam knows they can't go wrong'

Set for stardom: After finding such success with his own music, a source revealed of the Shape of You singer's influence: 'With Ed's expertise in creating a hit Liam knows they can't go wrong'

MailOnline has contacted representatives of Liam for comment.

It is not the first time Ed and Liam have collaborated musically - with the red-haired singer working with One Direction on their big hits Little Things, Moments and 18 between 2011 and 2014. 

Liam's debut album is set to be a star-studded affair, with hip hop ground Migos confirming they have worked on a song with the singer last month. 

Success: It is not the first time Ed and Liam have collaborated musically - with the singer working with One Direction (above) on many of their big hits between 2011 and 2014

Success: It is not the first time Ed and Liam have collaborated musically - with the singer working with One Direction (above) on many of their big hits between 2011 and 2014

The hip hop trio, involving rappers Quavo, Takeoff, and Offset, revealed they had not only produced a track, but had even filmed a music video with the new father.

They explained to NME: 'We just came from a video shoot with my boy Liam from One Direction. Crazy vid, crazy visuals, crazy team, cool guy.'

Liam is the only member of One Direction who is yet to release solo material.

Doing their own thing: Liam is the only 1D member who is yet to release solo music - with Harry Styles (R) topping charts last week and Niall Horan (R) reaching the top 10 with This Town
Good work: Niall (above) reached number 9 in the UK last year, and has recently released new single Slow Hands

Doing their own thing: Liam is the only 1D member who is yet to release solo music - with Harry Styles (R) topping charts last week and Niall Horan (R) reaching the top 10 with This Town

Big hitter: Meanwhile former bandmate Zayn Malik (above) topped charts globally with his album Mind of Mine last March

Big hitter: Meanwhile former bandmate Zayn Malik (above) topped charts globally with his album Mind of Mine last March

Harry Styles has just seen the release of his debut single Sign of The Times, which shot to the top spot on the UK chart and reached number three over in the States.

Bandmate Niall Horan also saw success earlier this year with his top-ten charting single This Town, while Louis Tomlinson released dance track Just Hold On alongside DJ Steve Aoki.

Meanwhile former bandmate Zayn Malik's record Mind of Mine topped charts around the world last March - making the 24-year-old the first British male artist to debut at number one in both the UK and US with his first album.

Proud: However Liam has undoubtedly been distracted from music after he became a father  two months ago - announcing he had welcome a son on Instagram in March (above) 

Proud: However Liam has undoubtedly been distracted from music after he became a father two months ago - announcing he had welcome a son on Instagram in March (above) 

However Liam has undoubtedly been distracted from his musical commitments recently, after he became a father for the first time two months ago.

The Wolverhampton native announced he had welcomed a son, Bear, with girlfriend Cheryl, 33, on Instagram in March. 

The pair waited over a month to reveal the tot's name however, with a source claiming last week: ‘Liam and Cheryl couldn’t decide on a name for ages and kept toing and froing between options.

'But they both loved Bear and settled on it a few days ago. Despite the sleepless nights, the couple are completely smitten with little Bear.’

New parents: The Wolverhampton native welcomed his first child with his girlfriend Cheryl, 33, in March

New parents: The Wolverhampton native welcomed his first child with his girlfriend Cheryl, 33 (above), and revealed they had named the tot Bear last week

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