Calvin Harris has said that working with Rihanna was “the best thing” that could have ever happened to him.

Speaking to the Sun, the Scottish DJ said that working with the pop megastar “changed absolutely everything” and was the biggest boost he could have given to his career.

Harris will release his third studio album ’18 Months’ next week (October 29) but, despite roping in a list of star-studded collaborators for the LP, claimed he owed much of his success to the ‘Talk That Talk’ singer’s decision to feature on their ‘We Found Love’ collaboration.

“It changed absolutely everything,” he said. “Career-wise it was the best thing that could ever have happened. For example, in America my tune ‘Feel So Close’ came out about three months before. But when ‘We Found Love’ came out, the radio started playing ‘Feel So Close’ like it was the single after. Then that did really well, it charted well and sold a lot of copies.”

Earlier this week (October 25), Harris’s collaboration with Dizzee Rascal, ‘Here 2 China’, began streaming online – you can listen to the track now atCalvinharris.co.uk/18months.

’18 Months’ also features appearances from the likes of Kelis and Florence And The Machine’s Florence Welch, as well as Ellie Goulding, Tinie Tempah and Example. [NME]