PRESS RELEASE: SHAWN MENDES COVERS NOTION MAGAZINE ISSUE 72 

PRE-ORDER LINK: http://notionmagazine.com/product/notion-72-shawn-mendes/ CONTACT: Nicholas Douglas | nicholas@notionmagazine.com 

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PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT: Tom Cockram / NOTION Magazine

Canadian singer-songwriter and social media sensation SHAWN MENDES is the third of four covers to be revealed for NOTION Magazine’s 72nd Issue. The teen superstar, who’s hits include Number 1 Stitches, talks exclusively about his music, growing up and what it feels like to be Number 1.

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT: Tom Cockram / NOTION Magazine

SHAWN ON HIS MILLIONS OF FANS “ I do love them, they’re such kind girls, they really care for one another and they really care for me” 

ON TRYING TO STAY GROUNDED  “The most important thing is to recognize that I’m not a god, I’m not a special person by any means. I’ve just been lucky to have such a great fanbase who are into my music and who connect with what I’m saying. They are really taking what I say to heart, so I guess the best thing I can do is keep writing music, to help inspire them.” 

ON CURRENT RELATIONSHIP STATUS & REAL LIFE INFLUENCES BEHIND HIS SONGS  He confirms he has “no love life” for the moment. So how come he can sing like the best boyfriend ever and we feel like he really means it?  “As a songwriter, you’re trying to find the strongest emotion, and love is the strongest emotion. A lot of the time it’s just like writing a story, it feels very easy and nice and fun to come up with a love story or a heartbreak story, it feels very natural, y’know? You have to really get into the detail to find the right fit for the song…. All you wanna do as a songwriter is just be very relatable, so it’s a super relatable album.” “It will all come with age – at 17, I’ve had experiences, but I’ve not had enough! I’m sure by the time I’m 25 I’ll be writing about much more experiences of my own...” 

ON HIS IDEAL GIRL & LOVE OF DANCERS “I really like funny girls, girls with a witty sense of humour; so if someone is able to catch onto what I’m saying very quickly, I find that very attractive. I really like brunettes… and also, dancers! I have a thing for dancers!” 

ON MEANING BEHIND HIS SMASH HIT ‘STICHES’ & HIS OWN HEARTBREAK The guy in ‘Stitches’ is pissed. He’s so upset! The song is about brutal upset and heartbreak and the anger of a break-up, and he really shows it! I’ve been in a relationship which ended upsettingly, but I’ve never been heartbroken like in ‘Stitches.’ He’s really hurt; he’s bleeding till he can’t breathe!” 

ON HIS HERO, ED SHEERAN “Ed Sheeran takes personal experiences and makes people want to listen and want to know. He finds the words to describe things in the best way he can. With ‘The Man,’ at the end, you find yourself feeling so, “Oh my God, I can’t believe this happened!” as you’re so engaged with him and what he’s singing about and that is very difficult. It’s easy for artists to write about relatable topics but it’s hard for them to write about themselves and make people love them...” 

ON BEING A ROLE MODEL TO FANS “I think it’s great; if you have the ability to be a good role model for kids then by all means, do it, y’know? However we can make an impact. But on the other hand, I’m also not willing to change myself. There’s a responsibility, which is as simple as not being an idiot and not saying the wrong thing... Horrible things! You just have to be a normal person to be a good role model, do you know?” 

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT: Tom Cockram / NOTION Magazine

ON KNOCKING JUSTIN BIEBER FROM #1 CHART POSITION WITH ‘STITCHES’ “It feels awesome to be up there at Number One no matter who I’m booting off, I can’t believe it! I’ve hung with Justin a little bit, he’s a great guy; it’s really good for him... Sometimes things are hard and go wrong but props to him for turning it around and making a comeback, it’s impressive.”  

ON BEING HIS OWN WORST ENEMY   “I think the biggest thing is how I feel about myself, I think I’m a lot more self-aware. I’ve never been more judgemental about everything that I do; I’m being a self-critic. I think, like, this has made be a little too aware, to the point where I feel it gets to me sometimes. Sometimes I wish that I could just turn my brain off, just tune out, turn it all off for a second.” 

ON LEARNING TO DEAL WITH HIS SUCCESS WHILST FINISHING SCHOOL “Whilst I have found I feel a lot more self-aware, I’ve matured a lot and I’ve been able to understand and grasp a lot more than I thought I was going to. You’re working all the time, 24/7, you are your own company, you’re in charge of your own brand, you’re in charge of your own product and you’ve gotta make sure that nothing goes wrong with that, on top of writing your new album, on top of school on the side… Yeah, I’m finishing 12th grade now, there’s a lot!” 

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT: Tom Cockram / NOTION Magazine

 

**ENDS**

NOTES TO EDITOR:
Notion Magazine is a leading quarterly music, fashion and culture publication based in London and reporting internationally, spotlighting the newest styles, sounds and trends, from the underground to the mainstream, and the lifestyles which surround them. Previous Notion covers include The Weeknd, 5 Seconds of Summer, Adam Lambert, Lindsay Lohan, Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus and Bruno Mars.

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT: Tom Cockram / NOTION Magazine