106 Fun Facts About Shawn Mendes

Besides soccer, which sport did Mendes play at school?

Ice hockey and soccer were his school sports before music took over: when he graduated from high school in June 2016, he was in the middle of a world tour.

In which Ontario town did Shawn Mendes grow up?

Pickering is where he was raised and where he graduated from Pine Ridge Secondary School in 2016, more than a year after his debut album had topped the Billboard 200.

Shawn Mendes's father comes from which country?

Portugal is his father's homeland, and Mendes once re-recorded one of his hits partly in Portuguese as the national football team's official World Cup song.

What is the name of Shawn Mendes's younger sister?

Aaliyah is his only sibling; she and their parents appear alongside him in the 2020 Netflix documentary about him.

Where did Mendes learn guitar as a young teenager?

YouTube was his teacher: he typed in searches like 'how to play beginner songs on guitar', then practised for hours a day because he never felt good enough yet.

On which app did Mendes first build a following in 2013?

Vine's six-second loops suited his chorus-only covers, and one clip drew 10,000 likes overnight; Twitter shut the app down in January 2017, by which time he had two number-one albums.

A cover of whose 'As Long as You Love Me' won Mendes 10,000 likes and followers overnight?

Justin Bieber's 'As Long as You Love Me' was the cover that went viral for Mendes in 2013; the two Canadians later recorded 'Monster' together in 2020.

Which record label signed the 15-year-old Mendes in May 2014?

Island Records signed him after manager Andrew Gertler found his covers online and persuaded Mendes and his parents to travel to New York to meet the label.

With which song did Mendes win Ryan Seacrest's "Best Cover Song" contest in April 2014?

"Say Something", the A Great Big World ballad, was the winning cover; he signed officially with Island Records the following month, in May 2014.

What was the title of Shawn Mendes's first single, released in June 2014?

"Life of the Party" arrived in June 2014, a month after he signed his record deal; its lyrics about being happy with yourself inspired a DoSomething.org campaign against low self-esteem.

What chart record did Mendes's debut single set in July 2014?

Youngest top-25 debut, at 15: his label put the song on sale with no radio promotion to see what his online fans would do, and their downloads carried it straight to number 24.

Before he was signed, Mendes toured alongside other social media stars as part of which tour?

Magcon, short for meet and greet convention, sold fans tickets to meet teenage social media stars at hotel events; Mendes played its Dallas stop in November 2013 and by the next summer had a single in the Hot 100.

Mendes was an opening act on which singer's nationwide tour in 2014?

Austin Mahone had him open his summer 2014 tour solo, starting in Mahone's hometown of San Antonio; three days into the run Mendes's debut EP came out, and it entered the Billboard 200 at number five.

Mendes's debut EP peaked at what position on the Billboard 200 in 2014?

The Shawn Mendes EP debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200 with 48,000 copies sold in its first week, a big number for a 15-year-old known mostly for six-second covers.

"Oh Cecilia (Breaking My Heart)", featuring Mendes, was a 2014 single by which British band?

The Vamps built the track on the chorus of Simon & Garfunkel's 1970 hit 'Cecilia', which is why Paul Simon shares the writing credit; the version with Mendes was their album's fifth single and made the UK top ten.

What was the title of Shawn Mendes's debut studio album, released in April 2015?

Handwritten went to number one on the Billboard 200 in April 2015, when Mendes was a 16-year-old high-school student: he toured it while keeping up his coursework away from the classroom and graduated with his class in 2016.

Which 2017 single, added to his second album's reissue, gave Mendes a US top-ten hit?

"There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" reached number six on the Hot 100; its video was shot in Paris, Amsterdam and Britain while he toured Europe, because he wanted it to stand for adventure.

"Stitches" peaked at number four in the US and ten in Canada, but topped the chart in which country?

The United Kingdom was a slow burn for 'Stitches': after months of climbing the chart, it edged out 'Love Yourself' in a week-long race for number one in January 2016.

In 2015 Mendes opened North American dates on which artist's world tour, alongside Vance Joy?

Taylor Swift had him open North American dates of her 1989 World Tour, sharing the bill with Vance Joy and Haim; he started writing his next single backstage at one of the stops.

Mendes recorded the song "Believe" for the soundtrack of which Disney Channel Original Movie?

Descendants began as a concept with no music at all; director Kenny Ortega said the story was tweaked once songs were added, and Mendes's 'Believe' plays over the end credits.

What was the title of Mendes's first collaboration with Camila Cabello, released in late 2015?

"I Know What You Did Last Summer" was released in November 2015 and appeared on a reissue of his debut album; it reached the US top 20, and the pair would not record together again until 2019.

When she first recorded with Mendes in 2015, Camila Cabello was still a member of which group?

Fifth Harmony, formed on The X Factor USA in 2012, remained Cabello's group until she left in December 2016; the band later went on hiatus.

Mendes made his live-action acting debut in January 2016 in the season three premiere of which CW series?

The 100 cast him as Macallan in 'Wanheda: Part One', where he performs the Violent Femmes' 'Add It Up' for the survivors: a rare burst of song in a drama whose characters are usually too busy fighting.

"Treat You Better" and "Mercy" were singles from which of Mendes's albums?

Illuminate debuted at number one in the US and Canada in September 2016; his first top-ten hit had been written without him, but on this record Mendes co-wrote every track.

Mendes's December 2016 live album was recorded at which famous venue?

Madison Square Garden sold out for his one-night show on September 10, 2016, a month after he turned 18; he announced the live album that December only four days before releasing it.

Mendes received the International Achievement Award at which 2022 ceremony?

Juno Awards night was a homecoming: Mendes returned to Toronto to collect the prize at the first in-person ceremony since 2019, and won the fan choice award the same evening.

Which lead single from his 2018 self-titled album openly addressed Mendes's struggles with anxiety?

"In My Blood" came out in March 2018, and within weeks Mendes was telling interviewers how therapy helped his anxiety; the song earned a Song of the Year Grammy nomination.

Which singer featured on the 2018 Mendes track "Youth"?

Mendes and Khalid performed the song together at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards with the Stoneman Douglas High School choir.

Which DJ's remix of "Lost in Japan" did Mendes perform at the 2018 American Music Awards?

Zedd got the job because Mendes wanted an exciting remix once the song was chosen as his next single and asked a friend; the new version came out twelve days before the awards show.

Which YouTube star directed the 2018 documentary Shawn Mendes – Artist Spotlight Stories?

Casey Neistat, the New York vlogger and filmmaker, directed the short for YouTube's Artist Spotlight Stories series, following Mendes on the road; it premiered to selected fans before its online release later that year.

On CMT Crossroads in 2018, Mendes was paired with which country group from Georgia?

Zac Brown Band and Mendes traded verses on each other's hits across a nine-song set taped near Nashville, and joined forces on Michael Jackson's 'Man in the Mirror'.

Which 2019 duet gave Mendes his first number one on the US Billboard Hot 100?

"Señorita" was released on June 21, 2019, and climbed to number one on the Hot 100 dated August 31, 2019, in its ninth week; it won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Collaboration that month.

Netflix's Shawn Mendes: Live in Concert (2020) captured his first show at which Toronto venue?

Rogers Centre, the Blue Jays' stadium, sold out for the show on September 6, 2019; Mendes released the film two days after his documentary as a thank-you to fans missing live music.

What is the subject of "Monster", Mendes's 2020 duet with a fellow Canadian star?

The pressures of fame drive the lyric: Mendes said it is about how society puts celebrities on a pedestal and then watches them fall; the pair first sang it live at the 2020 American Music Awards.

Wonder: The World Tour was due to open in March 2022 at the Royal Arena in which Nordic capital?

Copenhagen never got its opening night: the European dates were pushed to 2023, the tour began in Portland in June 2022, and after seven shows Mendes cancelled the rest for his mental health.

In which 2022 family film did Mendes voice the title character?

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile adapts Bernard Waber's picture books; because Lyle communicates only in song, Mendes recorded the musical numbers and the character has no spoken lines.

Mendes joined a planned TV adaptation of which video game as executive producer in 2021, overseeing its music?

Life Is Strange, the 2015 game about a student who can rewind time, was being developed for TV by Legendary when Mendes and his manager came aboard; Amazon took the project over in 2025.

Mendes's fifth studio album, Shawn (2024), leaned into which genre?

Folk shaped the record: reviewers heard lilting, unadorned folk-rock in place of his galloping pop-rock, on the first album he made after cancelling a world tour in 2022.

Two years after cancelling the Wonder tour, Mendes headlined which festival in September 2024?

Rock in Rio was announced in March 2024 as his live return, with Mendes writing that it had been a really long time since he last played; by September he had already tried the new songs at two small theatre shows.

For which Italian fashion house did Mendes walk the runway in Milan in June 2017?

Emporio Armani sent him down the runway of its spring 2018 show to unveil the brand's first smartwatch, and a year later made him the face of its entire watch collection.

In August 2019 Mendes's face appeared on the hot-drink cups of which chain?

Tim Hortons put his face on every hot-drink cup it served across Canada to promote his sold-out homecoming show in Toronto the following week.

Mendes set up a relief fund with the American Red Cross after a 2017 earthquake in which country?

Mexico City was where Mendes was when the quake struck in September 2017; having seen the damage first-hand, he gave $100,000 to start the fund and asked fans to add to it.

In acting lessons as a boy, Mendes played which fairy-tale lead?

Prince Charming was his lead in acting classes, taken when he wanted to be an actor rather than a singer; he even auditioned for Disney, then dropped the idea because remembering lines made him so nervous.

Which Queen song did Mendes cover as a duet in 2018 to benefit the Mercury Phoenix Trust?

"Under Pressure", Queen's 1981 hit with David Bowie, opened a series of covers released ahead of the film Bohemian Rhapsody; proceeds went to the trust Queen set up after Freddie Mercury's death to fight HIV/AIDS.

Which restaurant chain launched a "Shawn Mendes Bowl" in 2021 to fund his foundation's Wonder Grants?

Chipotle gave $1 from each Shawn Mendes Bowl sold from January 2021 to his foundation; Mendes said he chose the chain because it valued sustainability, the theme of that round of grants.

Which honour did Time magazine give Mendes in 2018?

100 Most Influential People: he made the Time 100 list at 19, and a year later the magazine turned the tables by asking Mendes to write its tribute to another honoree.

Mendes's self-titled third album earned a Grammy nomination in which category?

Best Pop Vocal Album was the category at the 2019 Grammys, where the album lost to Ariana Grande's Sweetener; his former duet partner Camila Cabello was nominated against him.

Which singer did Mendes credit as the main inspiration behind his second album?

John Mayer's 'Gravity' was, Mendes said, probably the main song that inspired the whole album; two years later Mayer produced a track on his next record.

What was Mendes's 2014 DoSomething.org campaign, which asked fans to leave kind messages in unexpected places, called?

Notes from Shawn asked fans to write things like 'you rock' on sticky notes and leave them on lockers for strangers; Mendes did it himself, and the campaign returned the next two years.

Mendes's 2021 single "Summer of Love" was a collaboration with which producer?

Tainy, the Puerto Rican producer, co-wrote and produced the song, then played keyboards beside Mendes when they performed it at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards three weeks after its release.

'Witness Me' (2023), featuring Mendes, Stormzy and Kirk Franklin, was a single from whose album Djesse Vol. 4?

Jacob Collier wove recordings of thousands of fans singing at his concerts into 'Witness Me', released in November 2023 ahead of the album that completed his four-volume Djesse project.

Which fashion brand unveiled Mendes as the face of its spring 2019 underwear campaign?

Calvin Klein let him break the news himself: in February 2019 he posted two photos captioned #MyCalvins and promised the full campaign later that week.

Which singer, a teen star in 2006 with "For You I Will", co-wrote Mendes's "Stitches" and "Treat You Better"?

Teddy Geiger moved from teen stardom to the writers' room, co-writing 'Stitches' in 2014 and then a run of Mendes hits, and produced much of his self-titled third album.

What was the title of the Netflix documentary about Mendes released in November 2020?

Shawn Mendes: In Wonder reached Netflix on November 23, 2020, eleven days before the album Wonder; its cameras are rolling when a strained voice forces him to cancel a stadium show in São Paulo.

Which singer joined Mendes for his performance at the 2019 Grammy Awards?

Miley Cyrus appeared in silhouette midway through his Song of the Year nominee at the 2019 Grammys: Mendes had started alone at a grand piano, then picked up a guitar to finish it with her.

Mendes performed at a televised April 2018 concert marking whose 92nd birthday?

Queen Elizabeth II's birthday concert at the Royal Albert Hall closed a week in which Britain hosted the Commonwealth's leaders, so the bill drew on Commonwealth acts, the Canadian Mendes among them.

Shawn Mendes hosted a 2021 NASA video call with the International Space Station's crew to mark which annual day?

Earth Day, April 22, had Expedition 65 crew members taking questions from students about climate change, Earth observations and physics during the televised event.

Shawn Mendes closed his fifth studio album with a cover of which much-recorded song from 1984?

Hallelujah, the Leonard Cohen song, was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City; Mendes had posted covers of it online when he was 15 or 16.

Shawn Mendes plays Bill Murray's role in a music video that reenacts scenes from which film?

Lost in Translation was the natural pick for a single with Japan in its title; actress Alisha Boe plays opposite him, and the song's remixer makes a cameo.

In the 'Stitches' video, set in an empty parking lot, Shawn Mendes is battered by what?

An invisible force knocks him over again and again, slams his head into his car window and throws him through a wall before he washes off the bruises.

The Shawn Mendes EP hit number one on which digital store 37 minutes after its midnight release?

iTunes later lost the EP altogether: it was removed from the store, and three of its songs were reissued as separate promotional singles.

Shawn Mendes said his duet 'Youth' was inspired by a 2017 attack in which city?

Manchester Arena was attacked in May 2017, and Mendes texted his duet partner that when they got together they had to make a statement about how young people were feeling.

The train scenes opening Shawn Mendes's 'Wonder' video were compared to which fictional locomotive?

Hogwarts Express comparisons greeted the shots of Mendes alone at a carriage window, before he climbs onto the roof and ends up singing on a rain-soaked clifftop.

Shawn Mendes's 'Treat You Better' video ends by showing the phone number of which kind of helpline?

Domestic violence drives the plot: Mendes watches a girl being abused by her boyfriend, and the video closes on the National Domestic Violence Hotline number.

Shawn Mendes was among the musical performers at which brand's fashion show, recorded in New York?

Victoria's Secret also booked Rita Ora, Halsey, Bebe Rexha and The Chainsmokers for the show, which was taped in November and broadcast the following month.

Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello joined racial justice protests in which Florida city in May 2020?

Miami saw the pair march after the murder of George Floyd, and Mendes also lent his Instagram account to raise the voices of Black activists.

In the 'Mercy' music video, Shawn Mendes is seen drowning in the ocean while trapped inside what?

A locked car filling with seawater alternates with shots of Mendes hammering through the song with his instruments in a warehouse.

Which actor plays the showman Hector P. Valenti opposite Shawn Mendes's crocodile in Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile?

Javier Bardem's Hector finds Lyle as a baby in an exotic pet store, then loses his brownstone house when the crocodile gets stage fright at their premiere.

Which late-night host gave Shawn Mendes a week of nightly performances to promote his self-titled album?

James Corden's Late Late Show ran the week under the hashtag LateLateShawn, and Mendes also recorded a Carpool Karaoke with him.

Which English singer-songwriter co-wrote 'Fallin' All in You' for Shawn Mendes's self-titled album?

Ed Sheeran shared the credit with Johnny McDaid among others, and later brought Mendes on stage as a surprise guest to sing 'Lego House' together.

Shawn Mendes taped his second live album at a Los Angeles theatre in 2017 for which long-running music series?

MTV Unplugged brought him to The Theatre at Ace Hotel that September, and the recording was released worldwide as an album two months later.

Shawn Mendes wrote and released a 2023 charity single in two days; its cover shows smoke from what?

Canadian wildfires had shrouded the New York City skyline pictured on the artwork, and Mendes paired the release with a donation to the Canadian Red Cross.

Which band backed Shawn Mendes and Jimmy Fallon on a 'classroom instruments' version of 'Treat You Better'?

The Roots, Fallon's house band on The Tonight Show, joined in two years after Mendes had first sung the single on the same programme.

Which Marvel star joined Shawn Mendes in jeweller David Yurman's 2023 'Nature's Artistry' campaign?

Scarlett Johansson fronted the nature-inspired campaign with him, and Mendes later helped design a woven hemp bracelet for the brand to benefit his foundation.

Besides Kings of Leon and Kanye West, which singer did Shawn Mendes say inspired his self-titled album?

Justin Timberlake's Justified was on heavy rotation while he wrote 'Lost in Japan', a song he said also came to him in a dream about being lost abroad.

Shawn Mendes revealed his self-titled album cover with a nine-hour livestream of a crew building what?

A floral arrangement recreating the artwork took shape on YouTube, with the stream ending at midnight as the title and release date were announced.

Which singer duets with Shawn Mendes on 'Like to Be You' and also co-wrote his single 'Nervous'?

Julia Michaels joined him to perform the duet on late-night television, one of the songs he showcased across a week of nightly sets.

Which R&B singer and friend of Shawn Mendes opened his 2019 tour dates across Europe and North America?

Alessia Cara ended up opening every North American concert, while country duo Dan + Shay took most of the Oceania dates.

Shawn Mendes's mother Karen, who works as a real estate agent, comes from which country?

England is Karen's home country; she and her husband raised Shawn and his younger sister in a religious household just outside Toronto.

Shawn Mendes joined Janet Jackson and The Weeknd as a headliner of which annual concert in Central Park?

Global Citizen Festival saw him sing 'Youth' with John Legend; ahead of it, he publicly thanked Canada's prime minister for championing girls' education.

In January 2020 Shawn Mendes donated to the Red Cross and rural fire services of which country?

Australia's New South Wales Rural Fire Service and South Australian Country Fire Service were both named as recipients during the country's devastating fire season.

Which tech giant partnered with the Shawn Mendes Foundation to award its first Wonder Grants?

Google backed the first round of grants, which support young creatives launching projects in fields from music and film to science and the environment.

Which lead single from his album Shawn has Shawn Mendes singing about the anxiety that ended a tour?

Why Why Why was written at Bear Creek Studio in Washington state, and one verse about a pregnancy scare drew media coverage.

Which song, written for a late childhood friend, did Shawn Mendes dedicate to Liam Payne in concert?

Heart of Gold was dedicated to Payne at Brooklyn's Paramount Theater two days after his death; Mendes wrote it for a friend lost to a drug overdose.

Shawn Mendes became the youngest advisor in the US history of The Voice when he joined which coach's team?

Alicia Keys recruited him for the Battle Rounds of season fourteen, when Mendes was nineteen.

During his touring break, Shawn Mendes guested with Noah Kahan and which One Direction alumnus?

Niall Horan's guest spot was one of a handful of cameos Mendes made before announcing, in March 2024, his first solo show since scrapping his tour.

Which ceremony gave Shawn Mendes its Webstar in Music prize in 2014, before he had released a studio album?

Teen Choice Awards voters honoured him as a web star first, and a year later 'Stitches' was up for Choice Music Single: Male Artist.

Shawn Mendes began his 'For Friends and Family Only' shows on his birthday in which upstate New York town?

Woodstock's Bearsville Theater hosted the first night on August 8, 2024, and the concert film shot there premiered the day before the album's release.

Besides Malibu, Shawn Mendes held recording sessions for his self-titled album in which Caribbean country?

Jamaica gave fans an early clue: the title 'Lost in Japan' was first spotted in the background of Instagram posts he shared from the sessions there.

Shawn Mendes joined a July 2021 remix of 'KESI', a single by which Colombian singer?

Camilo put the original on Mis Manos, an album whose title means 'my hands' because he says he wrote, produced, recorded and played it himself.

Which actress and singer recorded an acoustic duet version of 'Stitches' with Shawn Mendes in July 2015?

Hailee Steinfeld's duet video followed the song's official video by a month, and three years later both singers served as advisors on The Voice.

Which NFL star did Shawn Mendes take on in a rap battle on the TV series Drop the Mic?

Odell Beckham Jr. shared the episode with a second bout, in which Pretty in Pink co-stars Molly Ringwald and Jon Cryer traded bars.

Which fashion brand pledged one million dollars to offset the impact of Shawn Mendes's Wonder tour?

Tommy Hilfiger made the pledge as part of a sustainability collaboration with Mendes, whose tour was presented by Disney+.

Shawn Mendes and his charity gave $175,000 in COVID-19 relief to which Canadian children's cause?

SickKids Foundation raises money for Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children; the March 2020 gift came jointly from Mendes and his own foundation.

Which singer-songwriter opened the North American leg of Shawn Mendes's first all-arena tour in 2017?

Charlie Puth came aboard for the 29 North American shows, after the tour had opened with a 21-date European run starting in Glasgow.

Shawn Mendes opened his 2016 world tour that March at which famous New York theatre?

Radio City Music Hall began a run of 38 shows across North America and Europe that sold out within minutes.

Which La La Land star hosted Saturday Night Live when Shawn Mendes first appeared as its musical guest?

Emma Stone fronted the December 2016 episode, on which he sang 'Mercy' and 'Treat You Better'; he returned in 2019 on a show hosted by Adam Sandler.

Shawn Mendes topped which annual Billboard ranking of young music stars two years in a row?

21 Under 21 ranked him first two years running, and Forbes had already put him on its own 30 Under 30 music list.

Which dental company unveiled a campaign with Shawn Mendes in an advert during the 61st Grammy Awards?

SmileDirectClub pledged some of the proceeds to organisations that work to improve children's health and their mental and emotional well-being.

Which modelling agency signed Shawn Mendes in 2016, the year before he walked a Milan runway?

Wilhelmina Models took him on before he strode out for an Italian fashion house wearing its new smartwatch.

Which organisation's Allan Slaight Honour, a prize for young Canadian musicians, went to Shawn Mendes?

Canada's Walk of Fame gives the honour's winner $10,000 but does not count them as inductees; Drake and the Weeknd were earlier recipients.

Shawn Mendes's debut album broke a second-week sales-drop record held by which Madonna album?

MDNA had held the mark for the steepest second-week fall by a chart-topping debut since 2012; Mendes's pure sales dropped 89 percent as he slid to seventeenth.

Which soul singer joined Shawn Mendes on the remix of 'Why' from his EP The Album (Remixes)?

Leon Bridges shared the three-song set with Kaytranada, who reworked 'Where Were You in the Morning?', and Jessie Reyez, who joined 'Youth'.

Which producer co-wrote the single 'Wonder' with Shawn Mendes, Scott Harris and Nate Mercereau?

Kid Harpoon also helped produce the parent album alongside Frank Dukes, a record one critic called Mendes's most musically adventurous.

Which song did Shawn Mendes debut at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, playing amid candles and fog?

"Nobody Knows" was written and recorded in one take on what Mendes called a tough night, and he performed it at the ceremony alongside its co-writers.

Shawn Mendes wrote 'The Mountain', a song on his album Shawn, during a January 2024 stay in which country?

Costa Rica's Nosara was where the song took shape; the album was written and recorded over two years in places including Washington state and Nashville.