A laid-back Tuesday for us. It was intentional since we will be on the road tomorrow for a little adventure. And what's a better way to spend the day than with binge-watching and enjoying good vibes through music?
Well, the latter allowed us to discover a great artist who, surprisingly, had been in the spotlight since he was 16, but we only encountered his songs today.
Shawn Mendes, a Canadian singer who gained fans in 2013 after posting song covers on an American video-sharing platform called Vine. That in turn led him to sign a deal with the record label, Island Records. He subsequently released his EP album and then debut studio album, which reached the top of the US Billboard 200, "making him one of 5 artists ever to debut at number one before the age of 18." (src)
Here's one of his earliest singles, released in 2015 as part of his first album Handwritten. This is my tune one for the TTT initiative by Ablaze:
Stitches
A ballad showcasing the singer's pop acoustic style. An interesting fact, Mendes learned to play the guitar at the age of 13 (2012) through tutorial videos on YouTube. How cool is that!
This song became his first US airplay hit at the tender age of 16, spending 52 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. That's pretty impressive!
The next tune is another pop acoustic, the lead single of his second studio album in 2016 that topped the charts in several categories and in various countries, ranked as one of the best songs of the year in 2016, and won 2 awards in 2017.
Treat You Better
I like the tempo, the guitar-driven groove, and the artist's youthful sound (he was 16 when it was released). The lyrics are quite impactful too, centered on violence in a relationship. That's probably why it's one of his most-viewed music video on YT, with over 2.5 billion to date.
And the last tune, is one of his newer singles, a poignant song, yet with a fun beat enhanced by the acoustic guitar.
That's The Dream
Obviously, he has matured physically, and so as his voice. He also departed from pop and shifted toward folk rock folk-pop genres.
I don't know if it's meant to be
Oo- oo, that's the dream...
Oh well, he is exploring and it's good.
Speaking of, here's a bonus tune for the day, a song released in the second quarter of 2024. This is said to have been written in memory of his childhood friend who passed away from a drug overdose, hence the emotional lyrics.
Heart of Gold
Led by an acoustic guitar, the evocative, 1970s inspired soft rock ballad is the sixth track on his 5th album (which he described as the most personal and meditative album of his career, centered in self-reflection and exploration).
He has more songs that I like, including Señorita, Who I Am (which seemed to have something to do with his sexuality), Nobody Knows, and Why Why Why, among others. His YT channel features more.
Lead image is a screenshot from his That's The Dream MV. No copyright infringement intended. 15072025/21:43ph