Shawn Mendes – True, North, Strong, and Fierce

Canadian born Mendes first caught the attention of music industry bigwigs back in 2013 after posting a selection of videos of himself covering songs online. It didn’t take Mendes long to release his debut self titled EP The Shawn Mendes EP. Lead single Life of the Party resonated with audiences with its powerful composition and honest, heart on your sleeve lyrical content. The following year, Mendes released his debut album Handwritten. The album consists of infectious, perfectly crafted pop music which at times is both upbeat yet emotionally charged, to create a style of popular music which constantly pulls on the heartstrings. Stitches, Mendes’ final single from Handwritten, earned him his first UK number one and the track also reached the number four spot in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Mendes released his second full length album Illuminate in 2016. Lead single Treat You Better peaked at number six in the US Billboard Hot 100 and to date, the video for the song has close to 2 million views on YouTube. In 2018, Mendes released his third album. The self titled record featured singles In My Blood, Youth and Lost In Japan, all of which enjoyed success in the U.S., UK and Canadian singles charts.

There is a stunning transparency in Mendes’ work as he appears to never shy away from his feelings and this truth in his lyrical content is one of the most endearing aspects of Mendes, both as an artist and as a person. This heartfelt honesty can be heard perhaps most noticeably in songs such as If I Can’t Have You, which reached the number two spot in the US Billboard Hot 100.

With Mendes garnering a strong following all over the world, it makes sense that he has enjoyed a number of world tours which have taken him to all corners of the globe. His world tour in 2019 saw him start in Amsterdam as he made his way through Europe including a stop off at Dublin’s 3Arena. Mendes played over 50 shows in North America before heading out to Asia, Australia, New Zealand and finishing up in South America. During this tour, Mendes performed at Toronto’s Roger Centre, a show which was recorded for the Netflix concert film Shawn Mendes: Live In Concert.

Mendes’ live concert isn’t his only feature on Netflix, as in November 2020, the Netflix Original Documentary Shawn Mendes: In Wonder hit the platform. The documentary is an in-depth and frankly honest film about Mendes’ career as he details his journey. Mendes’ passion for music and his career shines primarily throughout and the documentary highlights the good and the bad of all that’s involved with his position as one of the biggest pop stars in the world. 

The two Netflix features are hardly the first times that Mendes has been captured through the lense. In 2019, Mendes posed for the iconic Calvin Klein ad campaign which generated much excitement with his fans. Who’d have thought, but Mendes is actually said to have been nervous for the shoot!

The connection between Mendes and his fans has always been of much interest and importance to him as an artist but also as a role model. In 2019, Mendes formed the Shawn Mendes Foundation which aims to help support and inspire his fans within a range of areas including mental health, youth empowerment, human rights, sustainability and education. The foundation encourages positive change and is a fantastic network for fans and their families. Check out the site at shawnmendesfoundation.org

Mendes’ latest album, Wonder, was released on 4th December 2020 and features a collaboration with fellow Canadian Justin Bieber on the track Monster. The superbly produced track is about how society will quite often sit back and place celebrities on a pedestal while watching them crash and burn at the same time. What makes this even more poignant is the fact that both Mendes and Bieber have experienced a similar level of popularity from a young age and the lyrical content of the track is a blatantly honest observation of their situation. Monster has already hit to the top spot in the Canadian Hot 100 and sits within the top 10 of both the UK, U.S. and Irish singles charts.

In 2018, Mendes was listed as one of Time’s Top 100 most influential people of the year. Grammy award winning musician John Mayer has this to say about Mendes: “The scary thing about becoming a professional musician early in life is that in many cases, young artists stop taking music in once they’re paid to put it out. But the fine art of Shawn Mendes is that you’re watching him discover music in real time. His songs are often his interpretation of music he’s fallen in love with, sometimes while he’s still on his honeymoon with it. Shawn has a very strong, clear, wide-eyed view of the world, and I can’t wait to see what he hears next.”

What is clear is that Mendes is incredibly well thought of in the industry. A recent interview with Beats presenter and all round music lover Zane Lowe highlights this. His honesty contained within his lyrical content is to be celebrated greatly along with his perfectly crafted pop compositions. Outside of the music industry, he is aware of his influence on younger generations and he has taken it upon himself to offer support and awareness for those that look up to him.