Shawn Mendes Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock
He is willing to share his soul. Shawn Mendes penned an emotional note about struggling to embrace his true self — but he told fans not to worry about his state of mind.
“Sometimes I ask my self [sic] what it is that I should be doing with my life and what I always hear in return is ‘to tell the truth, to be the truth,’” the 23-year-old singer wrote in a statement shared via TwitterTuesday, April 19. “I feel like that’s a hard thing to do though. I’m afraid that if people know and see the truth they might think less of me. They might become bored of me.”
Mendes explained that when he feels “low,” he chooses one of two options. “I either put on a show or hide,” he continued. “The truth, in current form is a 23 year old who constantly feels like he’s either flying or drowning. Maybe that’s just what it is to be in your 20’s idk, or maybe that’s just me. I just want to show up in the world being my 100% honest, unique self. I don’t care what anyone thinks. Sometimes I really don’t care what people think and I feel free. Most of the times it’s [sic]A struggle [though]. That’s the truth.”
The “Stitches” crooner reflected on the highs and lows that come along with his life in the spotlight. “The truth is even with so much success I still find it hard to feel like I’m not failing. [I’m] hyper focused on what I don’t have, forgetting to see all that I do,” he mused. “The truth is I’m overwhelmed and overstimulated lol.”
As he concluded, the Canadian pop star said he hoped his message “might resonate with some people,” adding, “The truth is ALSO that I’m okay. I’m just tryna tell and be the truth.”
In a separate tweet, Mendes reassured his followers, “I’m honestly so okay! I just wanted to be honest with you guys. so I just typed I big old note out for you lol.”
The “Treat You Better” artist wrote, “And I guess I’m like damn if I’m feeling this with all of the blessings I have I imagine there must be so many people feeling this and just don’t want them to feel alone !!”
Mendes has been open about his mental illness struggles since his stardom. In April 2020, Mendes noted that the coronavirus outbreak had reminded him of how important it is to acknowledge all difficult feelings. “Don’t be frustrated with yourself if you feel trapped or stressed,” he wrote in an op-ed for TIME magazine. “This is a hard time for everyone and you deserve patience from yourself. My emotions have been all over the place … some days I’m O.K., and others it’s scary.”
Mendes was at the time dating. Camila Cabello. After two years of being together, the musicians announced their split in November 2021. They have since spoken out about their reasons for breaking up. Both the Grammy nominee for Best Actress and Cinderella actress, 25, have reacted to their split through songwriting.
“My priorities have fluctuated and my focus has changed throughout my life. Those years that we were dating … even while I was writing this album, [Familia], and even still now, I guess my focus is really on, ‘How can I be a well-rounded person?’” Cabello said during a March 2022 interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “For me, I love Shawn and I feel like there is literally nothing but love for him.”
Mendes, for his part, penned his single “When You’re Gone” one month after he and the X FactorThe alum decided to quit. “Camila and I have always been writers for as long as we’ve known each other, so we understand what that means,” Mendes told Additionalearlier in the month. “And we respect what that means. And there’ll always be transparency between us.”
