MENDES IN OTTAWA
Pickering, Ont. pop singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes arrives at the Canadian Tire Centre for a show on Sunday as part of his new self-titled tour. May 2018 was a big month for Mendes, as it marked the release of his eponymous third album. Featuring hits In My Blood and Señorita, Shawn Mendes: The Album stretched his musical muscles beyond his humble acoustic guitar beginnings without threatening his wholesome image, with forays into glossier R&B and adult pop (along the lines of renowned style dabbler John Mayer). Here are five things to know about Shawn Mendes, Erik Leijon writes, in advance of his CTC show.
1.
A social media success story The old story about unknown bands getting discovered by jaded A&Rs in dimly lit venues is mostly a thing of the past.
From his sleepy Toronto suburb, Mendes developed a following the modern way: posting acoustic guitar covers on defunct social media app Vine, famous for its hard six-second time limit. His elevator pitch worked, as he amassed millions of followers, a manager and label deal with Island Records thanks to his online exploits. That was in 2014 — today, Mendes is approaching a whopping 50 million followers on Instagram, putting him alongside compatriots Justin Bieber and Drake among the most-followed Instagram accounts on Earth. 2.
A star-laden affair
The latest album from Mendes offers a who’s who of young pop stars and behind-the-scenes hitmakers. Señorita features American singer Camila Cabello, and the rumoured couple is set to perform the song together at the MTV VMAs on Aug 26. El Paso singer Khalid guests on Youth. Fallin’ All in You features a co-write from none other than Ed Sheeran, while Like to Be You was produced by John Mayer. Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, Julia Michaels and Teddy Geiger — all mainstays on the singles charts as songwriters — also have their fingerprints on this release. Mendes giveth as well, guesting on Chance the Rapper’s new album The Big Day. 3.
A little plain and that’s OK
Pop stardom demands burning the candle at both ends, but the clean cut Mendes comes across as an early to bed type. His plainness in a world of provocateurs has not gone unnoticed: The Guardian called him “perfect boyfriend material in pop’s all important fantasy world,” comparing him favourably to “unknowable loose cannon” Bieber. And in Mendes’ Rolling Stone cover story, which presented him as a “neurotic pop idol,” his father Manny and manager discussed his apparent lack of game with the ladies. “One day, brother. Maybe now that I’m 20,” Mendes responded in the article, then adding: “I said ‘f--k’ onstage the other day. That was a big day. I immediately felt bad about it.” In the same interview he professed his love of weed, but even that’s pretty tame as far as pop star antics go. 4.
Beloved back home
Mendes might be more famous for being a spokesperson and model for Calvin Klein underwear, but nothing drives home your Canadian-ness quite like having your own limited edition line of Roots clothing, which he did. And while he may have received two Grammy nominations and performed on music’s biggest night alongside Miley Cyrus, Mendes cleaned up at this year’s Junos in his native land, winning album of the year, single of the year, artist of the year, pop album of the year and songwriter of the year. In addition to Ottawa, his current world tour includes stops in Vancouver, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Montreal and Toronto, where he’ll end the tour’s North American leg at Rogers Centre. 5.
A Montreal remix
Album single Where Were
You in the Morning? received a smooth remix treatment by Montreal producer Kaytranada last December. The new version, available on a three-song EP that also includes Leon Bridges and Canadian Jessie Reyez adding their touches to Mendes tracks, neatly combines Kaytranada’s signature floating synths and percussion with Mendes’ heartthrob falsetto. The pair fit well together, giving one hope that there might be a little quid pro quo when Kaytranada’s next album sees the light of day.