Singer Justin Bieber says his songwriting is inspired by former girlfriend Selena Gomez.

The 21-year-old singer told radio host Ryan Seacrest that Gomez is his current muse, reports people.com.

Bieber and Gomez, 22, began dating quietly in 2010 and in the ensuing years, had an on-again-off-again romance, part of which inspired Gomez's 2014 single "The heart wants what it wants".

When asked by the host about Gomez's single, Bieber said that "a lot of my inspiration comes from (Gomez)."

"It was a long relationship that created heartbreak and created happiness and a lot of different emotions that I wanted to write about," he added.

Bieber also mentioned he's working with Kanye West again.

"He definitely wants it to be my way and my direction and he doesn't want to steal what I want. That's why artists like to go to him, because he pulls something out of you that other people don't," Bieber said.

Since their split, Bieber has been rumoured to date a string of models including Hailey Baldwin and Barbara Palvin, while Gomez is currently linked to her "I want you to know" collaborator DJ Zedd.