Shawn Mendes has become a pop music sensation — but in a new interview, he's revealing that, like most people, he is still just trying to figure things out.
The 22-year-old In Wonder subject recently opened up to British GQ about his struggles with confidence concerning both his body and celebrity image. Thankfully though, Mendes — who was named British GQ's solo artist of the year — said he has found solace in his girlfriend and fellow singer Camila Cabello, 23.
The couple spent three months isolating together in Miami, Florida with her family amid the coronavirus pandemic, which the crooner said really helped him unwind and take a look within.
"My friends were back in Toronto getting high, partying or whatever,” he told the outlet while explaining that his clean-cut celebrity image left him feeling excluded. "I just felt like … damn. I don’t know what you have to write about if you’re missing out on it all the time.”
“I held myself accountable to that image of not doing anything wrong, or saying anything wrong. [It was] so hard over the last few years,” said the singer. “It’s not that it has got me here, but it is a part of where I am.”
Mendes told British GQ he received support from loved ones, even though he doubted himself. They often reminded him that, “You are not your body. You are not your voice. You are not your songs. You are you and people love you because of you.”
But it was a lot easier said than done. “Some days I would have three hours of sleep, [because] I’d get up two hours early just to be able to work out.” Because otherwise, Mendes would think to himself, “If you don’t work out, you’re going to lose fans.”
Luckily, Mendes found some coping mechanisms like meditating and journaling.
His girlfriend Cabello — whom he feels dealt with even more scrutiny from the public — also helped Mendes boost his self-esteem. "[She is] so strong, so clear and confident with her [body] and so articulate and empathetic about other people’s and it really changed my view of mine."
"It really changed my life,” Mendes continued in the interview. Isolating with the Romance star taught him that “taking that extra few hours of sleep, instead of waking up to pump iron, is a better choice sometimes."
Though like many stars, Mendes misses seeing his fans in-person, the time spent away from the limelight, "has allowed me to become more internal and get deeper inside of myself." He went on to share, "There are so many instances during making an album when you want to drop an idea because it’s stupid or it’s not sounding great … You need a support system and I had support from her, which was different from any support I’ve ever felt before.”
At this stage in his career, Mendes has one personal goal in mind.
"I really just want to be someone who drops his guards and hopefully inspires others to do the same … I’m not really caring if that affects whatever my image should be, or would be or what, because I think there’s something so important here," he told the outlet. "That’s to make people feel better and make people feel safe and supported. But the truth is, it’s so hard to be human."
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