For the past several years, singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes has been the subject of public scrutiny because of his undeclared sexuality and what the public sees as a "questionable" dating history.
Each time he dates someone, questions arise about the legitimacy of the relationship, whether it's romantic or genuine, and if it's a cover story for something.
Questions were raised anew when Mendes began performing a new song, "The Mountain," live at his performances. The song is largely about dualities: whether the persona did or did not see a UFO, whether the persona did or did not climb a mountain, and of course, whether the persona likes girls or boys.
The chorus line fans have been focused on is as follows:
"You can say I'm too young. You can say I'm too old."
"You can say I like girls or boys."
"Whatеver fits your mold."
"You can say I'm a fool. You can say I'm a dreamer. You can say I'm too far gonе."
"But I feel never better... So call it what you want."
You can listen to part of the song here:
Many fans have speculated that the song is about Mendes finding peace, despite what the public might say about his sexuality and dating history.
After his most recent performance, it appears those fans were right.
While performing live at Red Rock and playing the opening notes of "The Mountain," Mendes addressed the pressure he's felt.
“Since I was really young, there’s been this thing about my sexuality, and people have been talking about it for so long."
"And I think it’s kind of silly, because I think sexuality is such a beautifully complex thing, and it’s so hard to just put into boxes."
"It always felt like such an intrusion on something very personal to me, something that I was figuring out in myself, something that I had yet to discover, and still have yet to discover."
"Writing this song felt really important to me because it felt like a moment where I could address it in a way that felt close to my heart."
"I guess I’m just speaking freely now because I just want to be closer to everyone and be in my truth. The real truth about my life and my sexuality is that, man, I’m just figuring it out like everyone."
"I don’t really know sometimes, and I know other times, and it feels really scary because we live in a society that has a lot to say about that, and I’m trying to be really brave and just allow myself to be a human and feel things."
"That’s all I really want to say about that for now.”
You can watch the video here:
Fans on TikTok were supportive of Mendes' comments during the performance.
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Fans on X (formerly Twitter) agreed and argued against pushing people to declare their sexuality.
Mendes is currently on the For Friends and Family Only tour, promoting his upcoming album, Shawn, which comes out Nov. 15.
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