Shawn Peter Raul Mendes is a Canadian singer-songwriter. He attracted a following in 2013, when he began posting song covers on the popular video sharing application Vine. Mendes was later recruited into "Magcon" with many other entertainers. The following year, he caught the attention of artist manager Andrew Gertler and Island Records A&R Ziggy Chareton which led to him signing a deal with the record label
Shawn went on to release his debut single "Life of the Party", which become successful in his native Canada as well as internationally. Following the release of "Life of the Party", he has released both an EP and a studio album, and has headlined his own tour, as well as been the opening act for Pop/Country singer, Taylor Swift in 2015. He released a duet single with Camila Cabello, the former Fifth Harmony member called "I Know What You Did Last Summer" in 2015, and then to release his sophomore album "Illuminate" on the 23rd of September 2016.
Mendes also won numerous awards including, People's Choice Award for Favorite Breakdown Artist, MTV Europe Music Award for Best Male, MTV Europe Music Award for Best Push Artist, MTV Europe Music Award for Best New Act, MTV Europe Music Award for Best Worldwide Act, MuchMusic Video Award for Pop Video of the Year, 2 Teen Choice Awards for Choice Web Star: Music, 2 MuchMusic Video Awards for Fan Fave Video, Kids Choice for Favorite New Artist, Shorty Award for Best Vine Musician, Canadian Radio Music Awards Chart Topper Award, 3 Juno Awards Including 2 Fan Choice Award and Single of the Year for "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" and a Canada's Wall of Fame's Allan Slaight Honour.
Life and Career
Shawn was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and was raised in Pickering, a suburb of the city. He is the son of Karen Mendes, a real estate agent, and Manuel Mendes, a businessman. His father is of Portuguese descent (from a family from Lagos), while his mother is English. Shawn also has one younger sibling, Aaliyah Mendes (14 years old). He first started posting cover videos on the popular social video app Vine in 2013 as well as YouTube covers and picked up millions of views and followers in a matter of months, becoming well known for his six-second snippets and full versions of many popular songs. Artist manager Andrew Gertler discovered Shawn Mendes online in January 2014, bringing him to Island Records where he eventually signed and released his first single "Life of the Party" in June 2014. He is the youngest artist to debut in the top 25 with a debut song on the Billboard Hot 100, making to number 24 for the week ending July 12, 2014 at 15 years, 11 months and 4 days of age.
Prior to his signing, Shawn toured as a member of the MagCon Tour alongside other young artists and social media sensations such as Nash Grier, Cameron Dallas, Jack & Jack, Kevin Collins and more. Shawn was also on a nationwide tour with Austin Mahone as an opening act and released his debut major label EP in July, with a debut album due out later in 2014.
Artistry
Mendes has cited John Mayer, Ed Sheeran, Justin Timberlake, and Bruno Mars as his musical influences.[48][49] For Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone Mendes incorporates "catchy acoustic folk-pop tunes" in his catalogue,[1] while for Joe Coscarelli of The New York Times, "his soft, sometimes soulful pop-rock plays primarily to tweens and teenagers, but has also found traction on adult contemporary radio stations."[2] In an interview with Clash magazine, Mendes stated:
- "I want to create anthems for people. I want to create anthems for big moments in their lives...I don’t want my music to play for a few months and then go away forever. And not only that, I want to do incredible things that make a difference too. I think it’s not only about the music you release, it’s about the things you do while you’re making the music."
Personal life
Mendes has been open about his struggles with anxiety disorder, which he disclosed publically through "In My Blood", a track from his third studio album. He declared that he had been undergoing therapy in order to help him deal with the mental health condition, stating:
- "I spoke to a therapist a couple of times [...] Therapy is what works for you. Therapy is listening to music and running on the treadmill, therapy is going to dinner with your friends—it's something that distracts you, that helps you heal and so it just depends on what you think therapy is.I made a conscious effort to be more connected to the people in my life. I found I was closing myself off from everybody, thinking that would help me battle it then realising the only way I was going to battle it was completely opening up and letting people in."
Discography
Main article: Discography
Studio Albums:
Handwritten (2015)
Illuminate (2016)
Shawn Mendes (2018)
Extended Plays:
The Shawn Mendes EP (2014)
Revised Albums:
Handwritten Revisited (2015)
Live Albums:
Live At Madison Square Garden (2016)
MTV Unplugged (2017)
Singles:
Main Article: Singles'‘
Official Account
- Shawn Mendes on Facebook
- Shawn Mendes on Twitter
- Shawn Mendes on Instagram
Tours
- Opening act
- 2014
- Live on Tour (Austin Mahone) (North America)
- 2014: Jingle Ball Tour
- 2015: Jingle Ball Tour
- 2015: The 1989 World Tour (Taylor Swift) (North America)
- Headlining
- 2014–15
- ShawnsFirstHeadlines
- 2016: Shawn Mendes World Tour
- 2017: Illuminate World Tour
- 2019: Shawn Mendes: The Tour
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