Superstar Shawn Mendes has heaped praise on Lewis Capaldi for “inspiring” others to speak out about their struggles with mental health. The Canadian pop star, 26, who is back performing after taking a break due to his own battle with anxiety, says the West Lothian singer is “incredibly brave” for being “real”.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Record, Shawn said Lewis, 28, has proved to the world that it’s okay not to be okay. In June 2023, Lewis cancelled his tour and announced a break “for the foreseeable future” after struggling to cope with Tourette syndrome.
He hadn’t been able to finish his set at Glastonbury, with the crowd singing the words to his biggest song, Someone You Loved. In the summer of 2022, Shawn cancelled his Wonder world tour and only sang alone on stage for the first time last month when he headlined the Rock in Rio festival.
Shawn, who has had two UK No1s, Stitches and Senorita, with his ex, Camila Cabello, said: “Not only is Lewis an incredibly talented singer and songwriter, but he is also incredibly brave. The world saw him on stage at Glastonbury and the crowd getting him through his song was so moving.
“I also think it’s a pretty good reflection of real life – when you put yourself in a vulnerable position most people will empathise and want to help. Just from Lewis being real I think he has probably inspired more people to speak out and admit they are struggling than he knows.”
Shawn, whose new album ‘Shawn’ is out on October 18, claimed Lewis will know when he’s ready to come back. He said: “Lewis has done exactly the right thing by having some time off. Sometimes you just have to listen to what your body is telling you and give yourself the chance to get well.
“I had to do it, so I totally get it and I came back feeling so much better. He will know the right time to come back because his body will tell him the right time. Everybody understands.”
Shawn was 17 when he was discovered after posting song covers on video-sharing platform Vine. His debut album, Handwritten, went to No1 in the US in 2015. His last album, Wonder, in 2020, set a new record for the youngest male artist ever to top the US charts with four studio albums.
But playing live made him anxious and he would take beta blockers to calm his nerves. He was supposed to play the Glasgow Ovo Hydro last July as part of the 64-date world tour, which he halted to have therapy for his mental health issues, apologising to Scots fans saying: “I’ve taken the right time to heal.”
He has revealed since then he has lots of support from people in Scotland and says he will be back as soon as he can. Shawn, who voiced the lead character in hit kids’ movie Lyle Lyle Crocodile, said: “You never want to disappoint fans but the messages of support I got from my Scottish fans were amazing. I’ll come back and say a big thank you.”
Scotland is important to him. During his 2019 gig at the Hydro, he told the fans it was the first time he’d performed without anti-anxiety drugs. He said: “The love I got back was incredible, we shared a moment.”
The multi award-winning singer is also a big fan of Calvin Harris and would love to work with him. Now embarking on an intimate US tour to celebrate his upcoming album release, said: “He has produced some of the most memorable songs of the last 10 years or so, I mean, who wouldn’t want to work with him?”
Shawn, who lives in downtown Toronto, has experienced a lot of ups and downs in the past two years, especially in his love life. He and Camila spent the Covid pandemic lockdowns together but broke up in 2021.
They were then spotted kissing at US music festival, Coachella, in 2023. But after six weeks they had split again, this time for good. There were rumours that early last year he was involved in a love triangle with Camila and Sabrina Carpenter that got messy when Carpenter and Cabello wrote songs, which may have included lines about each other.
Although no longer together, Shawn and Camila remain on good terms. Last week on the Jay Shetty podcast Shawn, who has an English dad and a Portuguese mum, said: “I think Camila and I have just done the best job at preserving our private little fire of love for each other.
“No matter how strong you are when there are millions of people commenting on it, it’s so hard not to be affected, to be swayed and to be inspired by it, and to desire it because people desire it, or to hate it because people hate it, and it’s just human. I feel like her and I have worked hard to protect each other, and protect that love, and I learned a lot about that.”
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