Category - News
Shawn Mendes Makes Statement About His Sexuality Amid Speculation
Singer Shawn Mendes has spoken out in response to persistent "intrusion" from people speculating about his sexuality. And hopefully, from the sound of it, this will the last words he needs to say about the subject.
The 26-year-old make the remarks while performing at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado on Monday night, before a rendition of his unreleased song "The Mountain." The track also reportedly addresses the rumors with lyrics such as: "You can say I’m too young / You can say I’m too old / You can say I like girls or boys / Whatever fits your mold," according to Variety.
"Since I was really young, there’s been this thing about my sexuality and people have been talking about it for so long," he said in fan videos that have since surfaced online. "And 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. And 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."
Mendes explained that writing the song felt important to him because it allowed him to address it in a way that was close to his heart. He said that he felt like it was a good time to speak freely so he could connect with fans and be closer to his "truth."
"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," he continued. "And it feels really scary because we live in a society that has a lot to say about that and I'm trying to be really brave and just allow myself to be a human and feel things."
Shawn Mendes opens up about his sexuality:
— Pop Base (@PopBase) October 29, 2024
“The real truth about my life and sexuality is that, man I’m just figuring it out like everyone. I don’t really know sometimes and I know other times. It feels really scary because we live in a society that has a lot to say about that” pic.twitter.com/5AvgPePXzp
Mendes was previously in a relationship with singer Camila Cabello from 2019 through 2021 and was briefly linked to Sabrina Carpenter in early 2023. However, he has never been able to escape gossip about his sexuality. Back in 2016, when he was just 17, Mendes took to Snapchat to fire back at rumors.
“So I don’t usually do this and bring up problems, but I was on YouTube just watching some of my interviews, and I was going down the comments and noticed a lot of people were saying that I gave them a 'gay vibe,'" he said at the time. "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 and not my sexuality."
He has continued to fend off questions on the subject throughout his career.