Shawn Mendes hopes to "influence culture" through his music.
Shawn Mendes hopes to influence culture
The 23-year-old singer felt inspired watching Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Dr Dre, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar perform at the Super Bowl in February, and Shawn is now more determined than ever to make a mark with his music.
He reflected: "For me, it's not to be like, 'I have to change the world.' I'm just saying, that's where my ambition goes - to influence culture. I want to honour the opportunity that I've been given as an artist, to make something very true."
Shawn is currently working on a new album and is also preparing for his Wonder world tour.
The 'Senorita' hitmaker explained that he's determined to make "authentic" music.
He told Billboard magazine: "I never want to stop playing, even if I'm playing for ten people in a bar. And I only want to play bigger shows if I get to do it by making music that's authentic."
Shawn has already enjoyed spectacular success during his career, winning various awards and topping charts around the world. However, his priorities have changed in recent times.
He confessed: "There was a long while where I was convinced that you just had to write big songs."
But now, his outlook is markedly different.
Reflecting on his new priorities, Shawn shared: "The type of music that I want to make, what I want to hear and what is important to me [are the focus]."
Shawn previously admitted to struggling with anxiety and he confessed that, at one point in time, it actually stopped him singing.
He said in 2020: "I physically couldn’t sing because of my anxiety to have a successful album. The fear strangled me and literally stopped me being able to sing."
Asked how long it lasted, Shawn replied: "It was a month before I felt like I was taking the first step. I really fell down."
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