Shawn Mendes Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock
Baring 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 Twitter on Tuesday, 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. The truth is I really do wanna show up in the world as my 100% true honest unique self and not care what anyone thinks, sometimes I do!! Sometimes I really don’t care what people think and I feel free. Most of the time its [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 wanna communicate with you guys in a real honest way. 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 !!”
Since his rise to stardom, Mendes has been candid about his mental health battles, noting in April 2020 that the coronavirus pandemic reminded him how important it was to acknowledge even the most challenging 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.”
At the time, Mendes was dating Camila Cabello. The musicians announced their breakup in November 2021 after two years of dating and have since opened up about what led to their split. Both the Grammy nominee and the Cinderella actress, 25, have processed the end of their relationship 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 Factor alum called it quits. “Camila and I have always been writers for as long as we’ve known each other, so we understand what that means,” Mendes told Extra earlier this month. “And we respect what that means. And there’ll always be transparency between us.”
