“Growing up in a suburban home, the world seems so massive to you. It seems like cities are so big and so far away, and there's so much in them. So your imagination runs wild, instead of when you are born in the middle of Manhattan, you'd know, like, that this is the biggest city.”

Canadian singer, songwriter and musician

Shawn Mendes is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and musician. He first gained attention by posting song covers on YouTube and Vine, before signing with Island Records and releasing his self-titled debut EP in 2014. His early rise came through social media, where he built an audience with cover versions of popular songs. The facts here point to a career rooted in pop performance and songwriting, with his public profile established through online sharing and his first EP release.