Shawn Mendes has been at this half his life, but it wasn’t until he hunkered down in the studio post-COVID to work on his upcoming fifth studio album, Shawn (Nov. 15) that the 26-year-old singer said he really found his true self.
In a chat with old pal and mentor John Mayer for Interview magazine, Mayer suggested that Shawn “doesn’t sound like an artist trying to impress him or herself to their friend,” but instead one that finds its own way to the finish line in exactly the way the artist intended, even if, initially, it felt a bit, well, “boring.”
Mayer described what he imagined as Mendes listening back to the album opener — which he initially thought was boring — and layering on a few instruments, a couple more top harmonies and realizing, as Mendes noted, “‘This is exactly what I wanted.’” In fact, Mendes said after a few weeks of “pushing through this gunk” in the studio, he got to a place where things were “so beautiful and deep. I was like, ‘Wait, this is medicine.’”
According to Mayer’s four-step rule for music: Is it good? Do I like It? Is it me? and Can I replicate it live and have a good time doing it?, his friend killed it this time around. “Dude, I never thought that the most stripped-back art I’ve made would return the most to me,” said Mendes. “It’s already given me more than any of my albums by so much, and I haven’t even shown anyone.”
He has shared the album with his folks though, and in the most important sign-off, his mom, who usually doesn’t really weigh in, listened to the single “Isn’t That Enough” and proudly told her son, “‘Oh you found yourself.’” Mendes agrees, adding that thanks to therapy and the experience of being “burned and frozen,” he’s not as extreme as he used to be, both in his relationships and in his professional life.
In general, Mendes told Mayer, he’s “a lot more secure” in who he is these days, adding, “it feels really nice to put something out that’s going to portray me that way.” And while he’s feeling more self-assured and centered, Mendes said he’s also still on the fence about how much he wants to be “in the conversation” all the time.
“It’s always on my mind, like, how are people going to react? I delete Instagram, because I’m like, “’I’m not going to read the comments and be like, have any celebrities commented on this photo?,’” he said. “And then I redownload it and I’m immediately looking again. I have a lot of acceptance and patience for my humanity, but at the same time, I really want to exist in a more authentic way.”
Mendes canceled his Wonder tour in 2022 to focus on his mental health. “Understanding how setting boundaries does not make you an unkind person has really changed my life,” Mendes said in early 2023 “And also understanding that it’s not easy to do. It’s a difficult thing to do. It feels uncomfortable. It makes other people feel a little uncomfortable for a moment, but ultimately it’s a very powerful and helpful thing to do for every relationship. So yeah, boundary-setting is not mean, it’s actually very important. It’s very kind, actually.”
Mayer notes at one point in the interview that not only is there that song called “Isn’t That Enough” but another track features the lyric “isn’t that enough,” leading him to wonder if Mendes has finally found that balance of too much versus just enough. “If you’re asking for enough success, it’s never going to be enough. But I think I’ve learned to have enough come from more places in my life,” Mendes said, with the additional caveat, “I think that’s an extremely important thing to pass to the next generation, is that this sacrifice for pouring all of yourself into your art is immense.”
Mendes will preview songs from Shawn a day before its official release during a one-night-only screening of the concert film Shawn Mendes: For Friends and Family Only (A Life Concert Film), which will hit screens across the country on Nov. 14. So far, Mendes has released the singles “Why Why Why,” “Isn’t That Enough” and “Nobody Knows.”
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