Shawn Mendes Covers ‘Rolling Stone,’ Opens Up About Sexuality & Insecurities

Mike Nied | November 26, 2018 1:02 pm

Shawn Mendes keeps it real for a new feature with Rolling Stone. The 20-year-old covers the latest issue of the publication. Posing for a shoot with Ruven Afanador, he delivers a pensive look against a bright, white background on the cover. The singer/songwriter carries his trusty guitar in several other pics and highlights his toned arms in a final one. In the accompanying interview he opens up about various anxieties and struggles. Chief amongst those is a professional fear of irrelevancy. “It’s literally my biggest fear, to wake up tomorrow and nobody cares,” he explained.

The “Nervous” crooner also spoke about rumors of his sexuality and the effect they have on him. “In the back of my heart, I feel like I need to go be seen with someone — like a girl — in public, to prove to people that I’m not gay,” he said. “Even though in my heart I know that it’s not a bad thing. There’s still a piece of me that thinks that. And I hate that side of me.” On the other hand, he refused to change the way he was to meet society’s expectations. “Maybe I am a little more feminine — but that’s the way it is. That’s why I am me.”

That’s not all though. Shawn was particularly candid about the public’s response to “In My Blood.” The lead single off his recently released self-titled album featured a relatable message, one that clearly resonated with the masses. Reading their input on the song elicited a strong response from the hitmaker. “I started crying, and I was just like, ‘This is why you talk about shit that actually is real.’ I was like, ‘God, don’t ever fucking question the feeling of writing the truth again,’” he said.

The feature also includes some insight about Shawn from the likes of Ed Sheeran. “He had the opportunity to be a dick, ’cause he was so young and so famous,” Shawn’s friend and mentor explained. “But he’s genuinely one of the nicest guys in the industry.” As an added bonus, there is a hint or two about new music, in particular a song inspired by Taylor Swift. It also features some comments about his affection for weed. On the other hand, it seems as though the hitmaker himself was less than thrilled with the final copy of the interview.

In a post on Instagram, he commented on how it focused too heavily on his insecurities. “Sometimes the positive side of a story doesn’t always get fully told and I wish it had here,” he wrote. “I love what i do and i love you guys so much.” Scroll through a gallery of pics from the shoot up top, read the rest of the interview here and check out Shawn’s response below!

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