SOCIAL MEDIA PHENOM SET TO HIT BELL CENTRE, TWICE
Mendes plays local shows as part of world tour announced more than a year ago
Pickering, Ont. pop singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes returns to the Bell Centre for a pair of shows Tuesday and Wednesday, as part of his new self-titled tour. Tickets remain for both.
Can’t remember if you scored tickets? It would seem like a major purchase to forget, but considering the initial date (a second was subsequently added) was originally announced way back in May 2018, chances are you’ve been to a few other shows since then. Hope you kept that PDF in your download folder.
In fact, the tour was announced so long ago, the 20-year-old Mendes was still a literal teen idol at the time.
May 2018 was a big month for Mendes, as it also 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).
The slick release topped the Billboard album charts both at home and in the United States, where it also nabbed a Grammy nomination for best pop vocal album.
Here are five things to know about Mendes in advance of his Bell Centre return on Tuesday.
1. A social media success story The old story about unknown bands getting discovered by jaded A&R’S 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 Canadian artists 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, who played the Bell Centre earlier this month, 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’s 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---’ onstage the other day. That was a big day. I immediately felt bad about it.”
He also 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.
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 Montreal, his world tour includes stops in Vancouver, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Toronto. 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’s 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.