From cover artist on YouTube to international pop phenomenon: Shawn Mendes already manages in his early 20s what other singers dream of all their lives.
He was born on August 8, 1998 in Toronto, Canada, under the name Shawn Peter Raul Mendes. He grows up in the suburb of Pickering, takes theater and singing lessons at his local school and learns to play the guitar on his own at 14. He opened accounts on Twitter and the video platforms YouTube and Vine. There he publishes cover versions of various songs, including "Hometown Glory" by Adele and "As Long As You Love Me" by Justin Bieber. Within a short time, his videos provide him with millions of views and followers.
In 2014, the label Island Records signs the young singer. The first single by Shawn Mendes, "Life Of The Party," released in the same year, also becomes successful beyond Canada and the United States. In the following year, the artist succeeds in storming the top of the Billboard 200 charts with his first album "Handwritten" - making him the youngest artist since Justin Bieber to achieve this. The foundation for a world career is already laid at the age of 16.
A career of superlatives
In the following three years, the events virtually roll over - the young Canadian, who just shot YouTube videos in his nursery, puts down an absolutely meteoric rise. Shawn Mendes toured North America and Europe for two months at the beginning of 2015. In the same year, superstar Taylor Swift asks the successful newcomer to accompany her as a support act on her North American tour. Shawn Mendes, who is winning the hearts of audiences everywhere, quickly becomes one of the most famous artists of his generation. His second album "Illuminate" is released in 2016, the singles from it are double and triple platinum - in Germany, the record becomes his breakthrough.
But all this is just the beginning: Shawn Mendes clears the most important awards in pop music, is nominated for a Grammy, goes on another world tour and is chosen by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of 2018. The third, self-titled album, released in the same year, charts at No. 1 in many countries. A huge hit becomes the song "Señorita" (2019), a duet with the Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello, with whom Mendes is also in a relationship for some time.
Unabated on the road to success
2020 will see the release of "Wonder", the fourth album by Shawn Mendes. On it is also the track "Monster", which he records with his career role model Justin Bieber. In the same year, a documentary about his extraordinary career ("In Wonder") and a concert film about his performance at the Rogers Centre in Toronto ("Shawn Mendes: Live In Concert") are released on Netflix. A collaboration with Puerto Rican songwriter and producer Tainy will produce the song "Summer Of Love" in August 2021.
Over the years, the multi-talented Mendes has also tried his hand at other roles on and off, such as model and brand ambassador for luxury fashion brands, actor and music producer. He is also involved in a variety of charitable causes: Shawn Mendes donated proceeds from ticket sales to a children's hospital in Toronto during the Corona pandemic. He also worked with an educational initiative for developing countries and donated a large sum to earthquake victims in Mexico City in 2017. Since 2019, he has had his own foundation, which supports various charity campaigns.
