Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes has opened up about his sexuality during a concert in Colorado following years of speculation.
The 26-year-old “Treat You Better” who has previously dated fellow pop stars Camila Cabello and Sabrina Carpenter, has spoken for years about how rumours that he is gay have “upset” him. He had previously said that he felt that “I need to go be seen with someone − like a girl − in public, to prove to people that I’m not gay”.
On 28 October, while performing at Morrison’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Mendes said that he had “thought about this for a minute today if I was gonna say something tonight at this point.”
After pausing for a moment, Mendes was cheered on by his fans before sharing his experiences of being a teenager in the music industry, having broken into the business when he was just 15.
“The truth is that I didn’t get to do a lot of 15-year-old things and discover parts of myself that you do at 15,” he said.
“There’s this thing about my sexuality, and people have been talking about it so long” adding that it’s “kind of silly, because I think sexuality is such a beautifully complex thing, and it’s so hard to just put into boxes.”
“It always felt like such an intrusion on something very personal to me. Something that I was figuring out in myself, something that I had yet to discover and still have yet to discover it.
“The real truth about my life and my sexuality is that, man, I’m just figuring it out like everyone. And it feels really scary because we live in a society that has a lot to say about that. And I’m trying to be really brave and just allow myself to be a human and feel things. And that’s all I really want to say about that for now.”
He then explained that writing his new track “The Mountain” had “felt really important to me because it felt like a moment where I could address it in a way that felt close to my heart. And I guess I’m just speaking freely now, because I just want to be able to be closer to everyone and just kind of be in my truth.”
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Mendes has been flooded with praise for his heartfelt statement, with many fans also defending him following the years of discussion about his sexuality.
“Famous people owe us nothing, stop asking them about their sexuality and let them live,” wrote one fan.
A second added: “He really does seem like a nice guy desperately wanting peace, I hope you find it babe.”
Meanwhile, a third person said: “People need to be allowed to live their lives and figure it own on their terms and not feel forced into talking about it publicly all the time.”
It comes after Mendes had paid tribute to former One Direction star Liam Payne following his untimely death aged 31.
Mendes was performing at the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre in New York, when he told the audience that the news was “devastating”.
He added: “I got to meet Liam a couple of times and he was a beautiful soul and his eyes gleamed, it was beautiful.
“It’s about grieving those we miss, the tears, and it’s also about celebrating them and who they were and what they left in this world and I just want to take a second to send so much love to him wherever he is up there.
“Liam, we love you. The world is crying for you brother, and we’re all praying for your son and your family and I miss you man. So this one’s for you tonight, Liam, from all of us.”