Shawn Mendes penned a sincere note to fans in an Instagram post that feels both bittersweet and inspirational on Sunday (June 23).
“I’m thinking about being in 9th grade right now,” Mendes wrote. “The day after I posted one of my first covers onto YouTube back in 2014.. at school walking down the hall straight into a group of older guys yelling out ‘sing for me Shawn sing for me!’ In a way that made me feel absolutely horrible… made me feel like a joke, like what I was doing was just stupid & wrong.”
He continued: “I was lucky though, I had the best friends & the best parents anyone could ask for… no matter what they would never let me stop doing what I LOVED to do just because someone ELSE thought it was stupid. It’s not joke to me. To make someone feel bad about doing what they love… every single person deserves to do what makes them feel alive.”
Mendes then took his personal story and turned it into an opportunity to encourage others to follow their dreams.
“I’m writing this not only to the 15 year old kid who’s scared to follow their heart because of what people might say but also to the 50 year old who may be doing the exact same thing. I know it’s not just that easy & I’m not asking you to change your world over night, BUT I want you to know that no matter how old you are, no matter who you are, no matter where you’re from… you deserve to follow your heart. I’m here & I’m rooting for you.”
Among the many glowing responses to Mendes’ post were comments from musical peers like Camila Cabello and Niall Horan, rooting him on.
“this is beautiful,” his “Señorita” duet partner said with crying emoji, while Horan added, “Couldn’t relate or agree with something more If I tried… we had the last laugh.”
Read his note in full and see the comments in the Instagram post below.
