Shawn Mendes

“Sometimes when the song is right for that time period, it's just kinda bad to let it wait, and then when you do release it eight months down the road, it's not the same.”

“I was an average student. I wasn't any standout. I remember when people started to know who I was and the label offers, people started to get a little weird and be weird around me.”

“I'm a very spontaneous person. When I see something that might be fun or different, I will try it.”

“When I first started playing guitar, so many people told me I couldn't do this or couldn't do that. But I kept at it and ignored that.”

“I carry around this little lion named Leo, which I've had for as long as I can remember.”

“I have a song called 'I Don't Even Know Your Name' which I think is going to be well liked across the board.”

“I'd love to work with Bruno Mars and Ryan Tedder.”

“There is such a hype and a big build up to me, and it's very hard to meet those expectations. That's been a big stress in my life.”

“Island Records was the first record label to... acknowledge me. After that, quickly, Republic Records, and then Atlantic Records, Sony Records and Warner Bros. It was all the labels at once. It was absolutely insane, like, knowing that this many record labels were interested in me.”

“John Mayer would be my ultimate collaboration because he's just the man. He has basically captured all I believe in with music.”

“From 15 to 18, everybody is a different person. Every six months, I have a whole new outlook on life.”

“I promise you, if you look at YouTube and see some of my first covers, you will hear that I don't sound good. But I was so obsessed with it and wanted so much to be good at it that I forced myself to figure out what sounds right and what sounds wrong.”

“Being 15, I feel like people want me to go down the Justin Bieber, Cody Simpson sort of genre.”

“Manuka honey is magic.”

“Just the fact that a thousand people in front of me were ready to hear me sing was one of the best feelings I can think of.”

“I don't like age barriers. I don't like when people treat you differently when they find out how old you are.”

“I don't want to get on stage and just be another act.”

“I love acting. I would really love to act.”

“I feel very comfortable with the U.K. tone and humour and laid-back attitude.”

“I can see why people change. You get complimented all the time, driven around in a black SUV - your life is crazy. But that's your career, not you.”