Shawn Mendes’ surprising declarations about his sexuality that no one was expecting

Shawn Mendes has come clean about his sexuality, telling a Colorado audience this week that he is still grappling with his own sense of self when it comes to intimate relationships.

The Canadian singer has been on the road since August, taking his For Friends and Family Tour across the United States along with two European dates (in London and Berlin). During the seven shows so far, Shawn has played a mix of tracks from his new, self-titled album along with fan favorites from his back catalog. Songs are interspersed with anecdotes about the creation process and more personal stories and observations.

What did Shawn Mendes say about rumors regarding his sexuality?

On Monday, the 26-year-old, who scored number ones in the States with Treat You Better and There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back, opened up about his own journey of self discovery. His new single The Mountain contains lyrics which some observers believe are his way of answering speculation about his sexuality: “I spent a week in the jungle/Swore I came out a new man/Back to LA I was humble/Turns out I don’t understand”.

He told the audience at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre in Colorado: “Since I was really young, there’s just been this thing about my sexuality and people have been talking about it for so long. I think it’s kind of silly, because I think sexuality is such a beautifully complex thing, and it’s so hard to just put into boxes.

“It always felt like such an intrusion on something very personal to me, something that I was figuring out in myself, something that I had yet to discover and still have yet to discover. I’m just speaking freely now because I just want to be able to be closer to everyone and just kind of be in my truth,” he explained, adding. “The real truth about my life and my sexuality is that, man, I’m just figuring it out like everyone. I don’t really know sometimes, and I know other times”.

Mendes and Camila Cabello hook up

Mendes spent two years in a relationship with Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello - an alliance that some claimed was one of convenience - designed purely to raise their respective profiles. Mendes denied the accusations and after their split, said in a statement: “We started our relationship as best friends and will continue to be best friends”.

He was linked with another singer Sabrina Carpenter, who he is reported to have dated last year although he denied that they were an item. That didn’t stop fans searching for hidden meanings possibly referring to Mendes and Cabello in some of the songs on Sabrina’s new album Short n’ Sweet.

On several occasions, Mendes has addressed speculation that he might be in the closet. Back in 2016, he posted a video to clear the matter up. “I was on YouTube watching some of my interviews, and I was going down the comments, and I noticed a lot of people were saying that I give them a gay vibe. First of all, I’m not gay. Second of all, it shouldn’t make a difference if I was or if I wasn’t. The focus should be on the music not on my sexuality.

“I’m not frustrated because people were saying I was gay at all, I have no problem with that because it wouldn’t make a difference to me,” he added. “I’m frustrated because in this day and age people have the audacity to write online that I’m gay as if it’s a bad thing.”