Music / Shawn Mendes

He'll be needing stitches.

"His name is Shawn Mendes, he's just your average teen idol, except one little difference: he plays guitar."

— Todd in the Shadows

Shawn Peter Raul Mendes (born August 8, 1998) is a Canadian singer-songwriter.

Mendes first became noticed thanks to his music through the social media platform Vine. Not long afterwards, he was signed to his first record deal. His first hit single was "Life of the Party", which debuted at #24 on the Billboard Hot 100, making him (15 at the time) the youngest artist to ever debut in the top 25.

His first full-length album, Handwritten, was released the next spring. It produced the smash crossover hit "Stitches", which hit #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the pop airplay chart. His second album Illuminate was released on September 23rd, 2016. His third album, self-titled, was released in 2018, spawning the hit "In My Blood" and netting him his first two Grammy Award nominations — all while still under 21. In 2019, he scored his first Hot 100 #1 hit with "Senorita," a duet with Camila Cabello, which gave him two hits in the Top 10 at the same time (along with his solo "If I Can't Have You").

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Discography

• Handwritten (2015)
• Illuminate (2016)
• Shawn Mendes (2018)
• Wonder (2020)

Filmography

• Metegol (2013) as Young Amadeo/Young Jake (voice, United States)
• Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (2022) as Lyle (voice)

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Tropes associated with Shawn Mendes include:

• Arc Words: Maybe unintentionally, but he sure seems to be "begging" a lot. In "Stitches", "Mercy", and "Oh Cecilia" (an early duet with The Vamps), the verb is not only used, it's emphasized near the end of each.
• Better Partner Assertion: "Treat You Better" is entirely about how he would be a better boyfriend than the girl's current boyfriend.
• Book Ends: 'Why' starts and ends with the same lyrics:
  I know a girl, she's like a curse
  We want each other, no one will break first
  So many nights, trying to find someone new
  They don't mean nothing compared to you
• BSoD Song: "Hold On" and "In My Blood".
• Breakup Demand: The whole premise of "Treat You Better". Shawn demands a girl to break up with her current boyfriend who isn't treating her right so Shawn himself can date her instead, for he'll treat her with more respect.
• Butt-Monkey: Not in a malicious way, but a considerable amount of his media coverage involves re-telling embarrassing incidents. Played a bit more straight in his music videos where he often seems to be being either beaten up or left in some kind of peril.
• Child Prodigy: Well, downplayed, but he is by far the youngest of his pop music contemporaries of the same magnitude, at least until Billie Eilish came along. As well as the Billboard record above, in 2017 he became the first artist to have had three number one singles on the Adult Pop Charts before he turned 20.
• Cover Version: As part of promotion for the film Bohemian Rhapsody, Mendes recorded a cover of Under Pressure with Teddy Geiger.
• Does Not Like Spam: He hates tomatoes. A lot.
• Drugs Are Good: Mendes' admission in a 2018 Rolling Stone article that he enjoyed smoking weed - and wouldn't mind trying mushrooms - shocked much of his fanbase. Although considering his struggles with anxiety, it could be argued that smoking serves a necessary medicinal purpose.
• Gentle Giant: Topped out at 6'2 as a teenager.
• Intercourse with You : "Lights On" from Illuminate.
  • Kid In Love have more subtle and innocent take on this trope
    If you're feeling kinda crazy
    Turn down the lights
    We can take our time
    Do whatever you like
• Mr. Fanservice: Shirtless in his video for "Treat You Better" for seemingly no other reason than to show off the fact he has abs. He also is in a wet shirt during "Mercy". He's also done more than a few shirtless shoots for various magazines. Also in the summer of 2018 where his live VMA performance of "In My Blood" ended in him getting soaked to the point where his already tight and sleeveless white shirt became totally see through. Needless to say, it garnered a lot of attention. He's played into this even more since 2019 with various half-naked photoshoots, the videos for singles such as "Senorita", "Wonder" and "Summer Of Love" all of which display his body gratuitously.
• Nice Guy: Plays this image in his songs and videos. Whether or not he's this in real life is another story.
• Non-Appearing Title: Whatever songs that don't have a true Title Drop come pretty close in the choruses:
  • "Roses" from Illuminate has "But I got you this rose". Since the chorus is sung three times in total, he could be referring to all three separate roses.
  • "Lost in Japan" nears the title when it says "I'm a couple hundred miles from Japan" and "I just wanna get lost in your paradise".
• One-Word Title: All albums but his self-titled. Also, "Stitches".
• The Oner: Many of his Handwritten-era videos used this effect, "Something Big" being the most notable exception. "In My Blood" is also one with him lying on the floor while it rains and snows on him.
• Pretty Boy: Along with Justin Bieber, one of the two prime examples in Canadian pop music today.
• Self-Titled Album: His third.
• Shout-Out: Possibly in "In My Blood": "I'm crawling in my skin".
• Significant Haircut: His hair changed abruptly at the start of the Wonder era, to a much curlier, looser style.
• Singer Namedrop: In "Hold On"
  And my dad says, Shawn, stay with me
• Tall, Dark, and Handsome: The most noteworthy example of this trope in modern pop, with his striking good looks, 6'2 height and dark hair.
• Teen Idol: He tries not to be marketed as one, and more of a serious adult singer/songwriter a la Ed Sheeran, but being an attractive male pop star with a boyish look, it's impossible for him to avoid the stigma.
• Textless Album Cover: His third album which is just an artwork of his face.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Muffins.
• Vocal Evolution: Compare his first single, "Life of the Party", to "In My Blood". Justified, as puberty probably helped him there.

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BETTER THAN HE CAN!!