In a rare and heartfelt moment, Shawn Mendes addressed the audience on Monday at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre during his For Friends and Family Tour, sharing a deeply personal reflection on his journey with sexuality. Introducing his new song, The Mountain, Mendes spoke candidly about navigating his identity since entering the music industry as a teenager.
Reflecting on his early career, Mendes, now 26, acknowledged that starting at age 15 left him little time to explore and understand parts of himself, especially regarding his sexuality. “People have been talking about it so long,” Mendes shared with the crowd, addressing the long-standing speculation about his orientation. “I think sexuality is such a beautifully complex thing…it’s so hard to just put into boxes.”
For Mendes, this song has provided a way to process his feelings and share them with his fans. “Writing the song felt really important to me… it felt like a moment where I could address it in a way that felt close to my heart,” he said, emphasizing his desire to be open with his fans. “I’m just figuring it out like everyone else,” he continued. “Sometimes I know, and sometimes I don’t. And that’s okay.”
Mendes’ honesty was met with support from fans, who appreciated his openness in navigating this journey in the public eye. He acknowledged the pressures he’s felt over the years, sharing how societal expectations made this discovery process more challenging. “I’m trying to be really brave and just allow myself to be a human and feel things,” he concluded, expressing gratitude for the space to be vulnerable.
Mendes has previously spoken on this topic in interviews, including a candid discussion in 2018 about the pressures to be seen dating women to quell rumors. In 2020, he noted how these whispers had at times been painful, yet, through it all, Mendes continues to embrace self-discovery on his own terms.
For fans and many others, Mendes’ openness reinforces the importance of authenticity and patience in understanding oneself—no matter how public or private that journey may be.
