Shawn Mendes says his life and mental health changed for the better this year despite a painful start
The “Wonder” singer, 22, opened up about his insecurities in a recent interview with GQ and revealed that he came close to quitting music all together.
“Being famous is crazy, it’s absurd. Having millions of people worldwide praise you and paparazzi follow you and show up at your front door every day while you’re trying to have a coffee is ridiculous,” he confessed.
Mendes added that the pressure of having so many people scrutinize his every move and try to control his decisions came to a head earlier this year, when something snapped.
“I burnt out and had a meltdown within,” he explained, saying he came “extremely, extremely close” to walking away from everything.
“I became a bit of a politician at a young age with my words, and the problem with that was that I wasn’t standing for much,” he continued. “I let the industry control what I do, rather than me controlling my life.”
It wasn’t only that that was bothering him, Shawn added: It was people claiming that his relationship with Camilla Cabello was a facade.
“There was a desperation for me to come out as being gay,” continued the singer, who is straight. “I got upset because I know people who are gay who haven’t come out and I know the suffering they experience because of that.”
The singer added that it is “completely ignorant and insensitive” for people to push that speculation.
But now, Shawn says he’s embracing the fact that he can’t please everyone, he’s learned that true happiness is “spawned from human connection and falling in love and being there for your sister’s birthday and having close friends.”