Shawn Mendes is done being the perfect pop star. Honestly, it’s about time. If you caught the recent Shawn Mendes Interview Magazine cover story—the one where he’s literally interrogated by his mentor John Mayer—you saw a guy who has spent the last two years dismantling his own pedestal. He isn’t just "taking a break." He was rebuilding a psyche that had essentially shattered under the weight of being "Shawn Mendes™."
It’s heavy stuff.
People forget that he basically grew up on a stage, starting at 15. By 25, he was canceling a massive world tour because his body literally wouldn't let him sing anymore. He told Mayer that he felt "burned and frozen" at the same time. That’s a wild way to describe burnout, but it makes total sense when you’ve been a "productive" machine since puberty.
The Brick of Truth: Rebuilding From Zero
One of the coolest parts of the conversation was this metaphor Shawn used about laying bricks. He basically said that if the first brick you lay is a "brick of truth," then every other brick after that just naturally follows. He’s stopped trying to plan the whole wall.
He’s just focused on the next single brick.
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This shift in perspective is why his new album, Shawn, sounds so stripped back. It’s just him and a guitar. No massive pop production to hide behind. Mayer actually pointed out that this record is the opposite of "trying to be fire." It’s just... him.
What most people missed in the interview:
- He’s into ceremonial-grade tobacco now. Yeah, he’s leaning into that "scruffy older guy" vibe. He wants to age. He’s romanticizing the idea of getting a little "weathered."
- Toronto doesn't feel like home. He admitted to Mayer that he feels like a "researcher of the word home" because he doesn't actually feel at peace in his hometown anymore.
- The industry consumption. Shawn’s big takeaway? He "refuses to let the industry consume" him. He realized that giving 100% of himself to music actually made his relationship with music toxic.
Is There Room for Love?
Everyone wants to know about the relationship status. Naturally, Mayer asked if there was "room for someone else" in his life right now. Shawn didn't dodge it. He said, "Absolutely."
But there's a catch.
He’s trying not to "over-romanticize" everything anymore. In the past, he’d get a concept of how life should be and hold onto it for six months until it crumbled. Now? He’s just letting things be good without suffocating them. It sounds like he’s finally learning how to date like a normal person instead of a celebrity in a tragic ballad.
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The Anxiety That Stopped the Music
We have to talk about the tour cancellation. It was a huge deal back in 2022. In the magazine, Shawn describes the anxiety as something that "strangled" him. He was so obsessed with having a successful album that his vocal cords basically shut down.
Physical manifestations of mental health are no joke.
He spent the last couple of years in "men’s circles," doing deep therapy, and reading about 55 self-help books. He’s not the "In My Blood" kid anymore. He’s a 26-year-old man who realized that his ego was the one driving the bus, and he finally took the keys away.
Shawn's New Philosophy on Fame
- Delete and Redownload: He still struggles with Instagram. He’ll delete it to avoid reading comments about "which celebrities liked his photo," then redownload it an hour later. It’s relatable, if a bit chaotic.
- The 500-Cap Rule: Instead of arenas, he’s been playing tiny 500-person theaters. He wants to see the faces. He wants to feel the "next brick" without the pressure of a 20,000-seat stadium.
- Being "Just Shawn": He told Mayer he’s finally stopped "stepping into the role" of Shawn Mendes and is just waking up as himself.
Why This Interview Actually Matters
Celebrity interviews are usually fluff. This wasn't. Because John Mayer knows what it’s like to be the "it boy" who everyone eventually tries to tear down, he was able to pull things out of Shawn that a regular journalist couldn't.
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They talked about the "self-impressment threshold"—that moment where you play something and realize you actually like it, regardless of what the charts say. For Shawn, this new era is about medicine. He said this album was a "hug for myself."
If you’re looking to apply some of "Shawn 2.0" to your own life, here are the actual takeaways from his breakdown:
Stop looking at the big picture. If you’re overwhelmed, just find your "brick of truth" for today. What is the one honest thing you can do right now? Do that. Then look for the next one.
Protect your "other loves." If your job or your "thing" is consuming you, you’re going to end up hating it. Shawn had to stop music to save his love for music. You might need to step back from your main hustle to remember why you started it in the first place.
Embrace the "scruff." Stop trying to be the polished, perfect version of yourself. There is a lot of peace in just being a little bit of a mess and being okay with it.
Shawn’s journey proves that even if you’re at the top of the world, you can still fall apart—and that’s actually the best time to figure out who you really are.