It’s off to the deep, dark woods for tousle-haired chart cherub Shawn Mendes as he swaps his sugary pop for bare-boned folk on the bleak and stormy Shawn . Inspired by his love for hirsute harmonisers Crosby, Stills and Nash and feelgood strummer John Denver, the album marks his return to the public eye after his retreat from the spotlight in 2022. Living up to its dramatic billing, it is a fascinating and tumultuous tiptoe into the undergrowth of a young man’s troubled psyche.
Mendes, 26, is that rare modern male pop star whose profile is comparable to that of Taylor Swift or Olivia Rodrigo (or perhaps his ex-girlfriend Camila Cabello ). However, the Canadian has had a rough time since achieving viral fame at the age of 16. He has endured deafening internet chatter about his sexuality (he’s “still figuring it out”) and the pressure of maintaining the success he stumbled into while at school (via the now-defunct video-sharing app Vine).
In 2022 it all became too much and he cancelled a global tour, losing an estimated $100m in ticket sales. He addresses these absurd expectations on a raw and vulnerable fifth album. Mendes cuts to the chase on opening track “Who I Am”, a deft piece of campfire acoustic pop showcasing his sweet, expressive falsetto where he declares: “I don’t really know who I am right now.
” That sense of confusion is reinforced on the single “Why, Why, Why”, where – sounding like a slicker version of indie folkies Fleet Foxes – he w.