Shawn Mendes is giving himself some grace. The 26-year-old opened up about his personal life in a heartfelt speech captured on video by fans at his Colorado concert at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, before singing his new track “The Mountain,” which directly acknowledges the speculation surrounding his sexuality . Noting that he was “really young” at the start of his career, Mendes told the cheering crowd, “The truth is that I didn’t get to do a lot of 15-year-old things and discover parts of myself that you do at 15.
” The “Treat You Better” singer talked about his sexuality being up for debate in the public eye throughout his career, saying, “There’s this thing about my sexuality, and people have been talking about it so long. I think it’s kind of silly, because I think sexuality is such a beautifully complex thing, and it’s so hard to just put into boxes.” Mendes—who has been romantically linked to Camila Cabello , Hailey Bieber , and Sabrina Carpenter —noted that the discussion surrounding his sexual preferences “felt like such an intrusion on something very personal to me,” and admitted that he’s still navigating his own feelings regarding the topic.
“Something that I was figuring out in myself, something that I had yet to discover and still have yet to discover it,” Mendes said. “Writing the song felt really important to me because it felt like a moment where I could address it in a way that felt close to my heart. And I guess I�.