Canadian singer of Portuguese origin Shawn Mendes started by postponing his world tour to focus on his mental health. But he quickly understood that it would not be a quick process and canceled the Wonder: The World Tour, which included a concert in Lisbon (it would be at the Altice Arena, in June).
Now, in an interview with Wall Street Journal (available for subscribers), 24-year-old Shawn Mendes talks about how difficult it was to make a decision that would ultimately prove rewarding.
“The process was very difficult”, assumes Mendes, revealing that it involved “a lot of therapy”. In recent times, the singer describes that he had to understand what he was feeling and the reasons for it, in order to then do the healing work.
However, he does not give up, considering that the process is working and expressing gratitude for the support he has received. “I am so grateful for all the people who were so welcoming and kind. And that made me see how the culture is really starting to get to a place where mental health is becoming a priority.”
In June last year, in a statement, also shared on social networks, Shawn Mendes apologized to fans for canceling the tour, saying that he started the list of scheduled concerts “excited to finally get back to playing live after a long break due to the pandemic ”.
“But the reality is that I wasn’t at all prepared for how difficult it would be to tour after this time away. After speaking with my team and working with an amazing group of healthcare professionals, it became clearer that I need to take the time I never took away, to ‘re-center’ and come back stronger”, shared the musician.
Of Portuguese descent, Shawn Peter Raul Mendes made himself known in 2013. He subsequently participated in a television talent contest, and has already edited four studio albums.
The musician has already received 13 awards from the Society of Authors and Composers of Canada (SOCAN), ten from the television channel MTV Europe, eight iHeartRadio MuchMusic Video Awards, from Canada, and was twice nominated for the Grammys, in the United States. In 2018, the magazine Team named him as one of the “100 most influential people in the world”.