Yahoo Lifestyle Shawn Mendes Opens Up About Connection With Ex Camila Cabello: “We Really Know Each Other’s Hearts”
Shawn Mendes's self-titled fifth album is *finally* hitting streaming platforms on November 15, and the Grammy winner is wearing his heart on his gorgeously tattooed sleeve in more ways than one. Aside from his stripped-back songwriting approach with collaborators like Scott Harris, Mike Sabath, and Eddie Benjamin, Shawn recently shared his story during a conversation on The Zane Lowe Show on Apple Music 1.
Part of that story, of course, is his longtime relationship with his ex, Camila Cabello. TL;DR: the pair started as friends, took their connection to romantic heights, and called it quits in 2021 before briefly rekindling their flame in 2023. Most recently, he broke his silence on Camila with a series of tweets and further clarified the nature of their relationship with Zane.
"That is at the root of the friendship, isn't it? The lifelong friendship is that she sees in you based on the songs you've written and the conversations I've had with both of you," the host asked. "You've seen each other, the goodness that others don't necessarily get a chance to see the sides of each other."
Shawn responded, saying, "We haven't been the closest over the last couple of years, but I think we really know each other. We've spent a lot of time together. We really know each other's hearts. So even when all of the sound and all the noise is happening, we can see through each other pretty easily, and it's just nice to have that."
In 2023, the "Heart of Gold" hitmaker was reportedly linked to Sabrina Carpenter, leading fans to believe that her album Short n' Sweet was inspired by their 'ship. While neither artist has publicly confirmed nor denied the reports, Shawn opened up about how he's been dealing with public perception of his private life.
"It's easy to speak truth... Actually, I wouldn't even call it easy. It's easier and still difficult to speak your truth with one other human who has their opinions on you. Two harder, three harder, four harder," he started. "But when you have hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people projecting their opinion of who they think you are and why they think you're that onto you, the human brain is fragile."
He continued, "So I've had times where I've been reading what people think about me, and it's gotten to the point where I'm like, 'Maybe that is true and I'm me. Maybe what they're saying is... Maybe because I say it like that or I sit like that. That means that about me.'"
The singer-songwriter—who's been in the music biz since he was 15—also opened up about his mental health journey in the public eye.
"It's sad because I think about little Shawn—like 15, 16-year-old Shawn who is just trying to do his best job and has no idea—no one told him, 'Hey, dude, you're in for one because having hundreds of thousands of people daily tell you what they think about you, it's going to be really intense on the psyche. It's going to mess you up a little bit,'" he told Zane, adding a piece of advice for up-and-coming artists looking to break through the biz. "Which by the way, if you're an artist and you're 15 years old and you're getting started right now, if there's one thing I could tell you it's protect yourself from social media. Protect yourself from the masses and what they think about you."
Shawn will be released via Island Records on November 15. Watch the artist's full interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 below.
You Might Also Like
