c/o Anthony Wilson
From 2015–2020, Shawn Mendes was on one of the most successful four-album runs in recent pop music history. All before turning 25, Mendes’ first four albums all went no. 1 on the Billboard charts, and he became one of the most recognizable musicians in the mainstream. However, after canceling his 2022 tour promoting his 2020 album Wonder and a tumultuous end to his relationship with Camila Cabello, Mendes took time out of the spotlight to take care of his mental health.
While Mendes has made brief live appearances with Ed Sheeran and Niall Horan since stepping away from the limelight, he has remained intentional about his four-year hiatus from the public eye to ensure that he would return with meaningful work. This meaningful work led up to the Friday, Nov. 15 release of his newest album, Shawn. During a conversation with Zane Lowe about the album, Mendes reflected on where this album finds him in life.
“I have gotten to the point in my life where…I’m tired [of] not being in an authentic state,” Mendes said. “When I was younger, it just always felt like there was a pleasing of everyone…. I’ve gotten to the point now where, you know, I’m just going to be relaxed, and be myself, and what that outcome is is probably gonna be the best outcome for me.”
The new album reflects a different sound to Mendes’ music, a sound absent from his previous bodies of work. We can see the evolution of his songwriting, which has matured over the course of his career, but truly shines on this LP as he grapples with incredibly difficult topics, including depression, the loss of loved ones, questions of sexuality, and discovering his own identity. This is certainly the most transparent Mendes has been about his personal life, as he previously disguised it with elaborate and well-crafted instrumentals. Now, though, he’s accompanied by rawer, acoustic, and stripped-down backing tracks that reflect the development of his artistry.
In the same interview with Lowe, Mendes made an observation about the current state of popular music and how he feels it may be moving towards more genuine and sincere songwriting:
“It seems like we’re going through a…similar thing to what happened in the ’70s with music,” Mendes said. “We’re kind of on the beginning of it, and I think people are really craving authenticity, and they’re craving songs that represent what’s happening in the world.”
The last two years of popular music can back up what Mendes described. When you look back at the 1970s, artists like John Lennon, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Marvin Gaye reflected the authenticity that Mendes mentions—but these musicians wrote in response to social issues. Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” spoke out against the use of pesticides; Gaye’s album What’s Going On touched on several important issues of the day; and Lennon’s “Imagine” is one of the most recognizable and crucial songs not only of the decade but the entirety of pop music history. Whether timeless songs like this will emerge from 2024 on is for future generations to decide, but the early signs are there, according to Mendes.
In general, the last two years have seen folk and soul music experience a resurgence in popularity. One of the most obvious examples of this is the success of Noah Kahan’s 2022 album, Stick Season, which reached as high as no. 2 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Alternative and Rock charts. Similarly, Hozier’s return to the mainstream through his album Unreal Unearth channels similar undertones of the revitalization of folk inspirations into pop music.
Similarly, the recent success of country music conveys a connected phenomenon. Zach Bryan has become one of the largest stars in music, as his 2023 self-titled album and 2024 LP, The Great American Bar Scene, were some of the most listened-to albums of this summer. It was difficult to avoid hearing “Pink Skies” or “Revival” this summer, which proves the ubiquity of his discography. Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” was arguably the song of the summer, and countless other country stars rose up the pop charts. Even Post Malone made the transition from hip-hop to country and experienced success, getting some assistance from Morgan Wallen with their chart-topping collaboration, “I Had Some Help.”
With the re-emergence of soul and country music into the mainstream, there is certainly proof that listeners nowadays are looking for more honest songwriting accompanied by raw and acoustic tracks (maybe “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and “I Had Some Help” are exceptions to this example, as they are much more produced). But Mendes is part of a recent trend of young male pop stars taking a step back to release more authentic albums as a result of their growth as artists and as people.
Zayn Malik recently made a similar career decision to Mendes. The former One Direction member took some time off to move to rural Pennsylvania and work on his mental health. After this time off, he returned in May 2024 with a new album, Room Under the Stairs, which reflected a much more soulful sound that was light-years away from his previous hits like “PILLOWTALK” and “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever.”
Even for boy band members of the past, this same concept of introspection and redevelopment of their sound through folk and soul inspirations has taken place. Justin Timberlake’s 2018 album, Man of the Woods, contained soul and Americana inspirations that developed in the five years since his previous album release. This was a new approach to music for Timberlake, even as he continued to keep his presence as a force in pop music while being more honest on songs like “Say Something (feat. Chris Stapleton).”
With all of this in mind, we can see that Mendes isn’t doing something new with this new album. He was flung into the spotlight at age 17 , when “Stitches,” arguably his most popular song, was released. Having experienced the trials and tribulations of fame at a young age, he needed to take time off to find his new purpose in music and how he could now cope with the attention he has garnered. Considering that other male pop stars who were successful early in their careers have done the same, I think that this is not only the beginning of a wave of authenticity in popular music, but a wave of many of these 2010s boy band members taking time off, and then returning with more self-reflective work.
Ultimately, though, the purpose of this work is not so much for success, but for the security these artists feel when releasing their honest work. While this most recent album may not reach no. 1 on the Billboard charts like all of Shawn Mendes’ previous projects, it doesn’t matter; the fulfillment of finding this new voice through his music is the true light at the end of the tunnel. And with folk, soul, and country making a comeback into the mainstream, I would not be surprised if this kick-starts a trend of musicians following suit and taking time to make meaningful, self-reflective bodies of work in the future.
Max Forstein can be reached at mforstein@wesleyan.edu.