Shawn Mendes reveals he almost quit music earlier this year
The ‘Wonder’ star admits he fell out of love with the industry
Last updated 10th Dec 2020
Shawn Mendes, one of the biggest names in pop music, has revealed his struggles with global fame and how this almost led to him quitting music altogether.
The 'Wonder' singer has opened up about how his serve anxiety caused him to lose the ability to sing earlier this year. Speaking candidly to The Guardian, Shawn explained, “I had a moment at the end of January when my body would not allow me to sing.”
Shawn confessed that this was a result of his anxiety to have a successful album, he added, “The fear strangled me and literally stopped me being able to sing.”
The ‘There’s Nothing Holdin' Me Back’ singer also added, “All that success was turning into a big monster that was eating my self-confidence because, if anybody said they didn’t like my music, all of a sudden I felt I was worth nothing. And that’s what happens when you connect who you are and what you do.”
18 album releases we've loved in 2020 🎶
Selena Gomez, 'Rare'
Selena Gomez released her third album 'Rare' on 10th January 2020, which featured singles 'Lose You to Love Me' and 'Look at Her Now' as well as the title track 'Rare'.
Halsey, 'Manic'
Halsey released her third album 'Manic' on 17th January 2020, spawning singles 'Without Me', 'Graveyard' and 'Clementine' amongst others.
Louis Tomlinson, 'Walls'
Former One Direction star Louis Tomlinson is the last of the band to put out their debut solo album, but 'Walls' was finally released on 31st January 2020.
Justin Bieber, 'Changes'
Justin Bieber's new album 'Changes' was released on Valentine's Day! His fifth record was out on 14th February 2020, and features his newest single 'Yummy'.
Lauv, 'How I'm Feeling'
Lauv's debut album 'How I'm Feeling' was released on 6th March 2020, spawning singles 'Lonely', 'Tattoos Together' and 'Feelings'.
Niall Horan, 'Heartbreak Weather'
Former One Direction star Niall Horan released his second album 'Heartbreak Weather' on 13th March 2020! The follow-up to 'Flicker' came out amid the Coronavirus, which Niall joked wasn't the best time to release new music.
Dua Lipa, 'Future Nostalgia'
Dua Lipa announced that her second album 'Future Nostalgia' was set to be released on 3rd April 2020, featuring her huge single 'Don't Start Now'. Unfortunately, the album was leaked, so Dua released it two weeks early on 27th March.
Lady Gaga, 'Chromatica'
Lady Gaga's sixth album 'Chromatica' was due to be released on 10th April 2020, but she decided to move the release date back due to the Coronavirus pandemic. It was then released on 29th May.
Ellie Goulding, 'Brightest Blue'
Ellie Goulding's fourth album 'Brightest Blue' was released on 17th July, with Ellie explaining that it would be "split into two halves" - one more classical and one more pop-focused.
Taylor Swift, 'Folklore'
Taylor Swift dropped her eighth studio album 'Folklore' totally by surprise on 24th July. The record was written and recorded in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and reached Number 1 in the UK charts!
The Killers, 'Imploding The Mirage'
The Killers' sixth album 'Imploding The Mirage' was set to be released on 29th May 2020, but was pushed back to 21st August 2020, featuring singles 'Caution' and 'My Own Soul's Warning'.
Katy Perry, 'Smile'
Katy Perry had a pretty huge year in 2020 - not only did she welcome her first baby with fiancé Orlando Bloom, but she also released her sixth album on 28th August!
Alicia Keys, 'Alicia'
Alicia was set to release her self-titled seventh album on 20th March 2020, but it was pushed back due to the global pandemic and instead released on 18th September.
The Vamps, 'Cherry Blossom'
The Vamps released their fifth album 'Cherry Blossom' on 16th October 2020, featuring single 'Married In Vegas' which they performed on Strictly Come Dancing!
Ariana Grande, 'Positions'
Ariana Grande dropped her sixth album 'Positions' on 30th October! It contained songs like the title track as well as '34+35' and 'Motive' with Doja Cat.
Sam Smith, 'Love Goes'
Sam Smith released their third album, 'Love Goes', on 30th October, featuring singles such as 'Dancing with a Stranger' and 'How Do You Sleep?'. It was originally set for a 5th June release date, but was pushed back.
Little Mix, 'Confetti'
Little Mix released their sixth album 'Confetti' on 6th November! The record contains incredible hits like 'Sweet Melody', 'Holiday' and 'Break Up Song'.
Miley Cyrus, 'Plastic Hearts'
Miley Cyrus dropped her seventh album 'Plastic Hearts' on 27th November. Announcing the record in October, Miley wrote that her original seventh album had been destroyed after her home was lost in the California wildfires, 'Nature did what I now see as a favor and destroyed what I couldn't let go of for myself. I lost my house in a fire but found myself in its ashes.'
Shawn Mendes, 'Wonder'
Shawn Mendes released his fourth album 'Wonder' on 4th December 2020. Collaborating with the likes of Justin Bieber, the record featured singles 'Wonder' and 'Monster', and even had an accompanying Netflix documentary following Shawn's life in the lead up to the release.
Taylor Swift, 'Evermore'
Two albums in one year is pretty good going - Ariana Grande knows what's up! Taylor put out another record less than five months after 'Folklore', saying, "To put it plainly, we just couldn't stop writing songs."
Shawn revealed that his girlfriend Camila Cabello, has a more practical view and tells the star “Your art is magical because some people believe it’s magical. Not everybody needs to believe it’s magical” he adds, “She is not as obsessive as I am in that sense…or as I was.”
The singer also opened up about the methods he used to get back on track, he said, “Three therapists and 55 self – help books plus meditation, exercise and life experience."
The ‘Treat You Better’ singer also added that that he came extremely close to quitting the music industry altogether.
However, Shawn realised that the industry isn’t the problem, he said ,“I let the industry control what I do, rather than me controlling my life.”
Shawn’s fourth album 'Wonder’ came out this month (December 2020) and on his Instagram account Shawn posted a letter to his fans saying, 'Wonder taught me freedom & how to surrender to the magic of art.' He also added, 'I love you all so much, thank you for the support for so many years.'
Earlier this week Shawn and his girlfriend Camila, posted the music video they directed for their cover of ‘The Christmas Song.’ The video gives fans a behind the scenes look at the power couple’s relationship. Shawn and Camila both look super happy in the video and we can’t get enough of it. ❤️
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