Who is this guy?

Who is this kid Shawn Mendes who shot to instant fame and rewards in 2018? He is a talented kid who taught himself by watching You Tube videos how to play guitar and piano from his room at home and in these times became his own agent and promoter by using social media to let the world know he even exists and it worked for him. At the Sziget Music Festival in Budapest Hungary this past summer with just a guitar and his voice he charmed 30 thousand fans. At just 20 years old it also helps that he is tall and handsome too. He already participated in three world tours, and has three hit studio albums.

Shawn is also the first artist to have four number one songs on the adult pop songs chart before the age of 20. Self- teaching has its limits but there is no limit to his charisma and born talent. He grew up in a town near Toronto, Canada and he loves his childhood. Being the older one of two kids he was lucky to be born into a music loving family. We all know how great we sound in the acoustics of singing in the shower and he was encouraged to do just that. You can find a lot of home recorded videos of him as a young teenager   just jamming away in his bedroom that now has a ton of views. Those posts got him noticed by millions of viewers and then the big shots with the money to back him up wanted him too.

A record label signed him and in the space of just a few years he went from singing in his room to millions of fans to world tours. He even appeared as a celebrity at the Met Gala in New York. This year he made Time Magazine’s list of the Most Influential People of 2018. Can life get any better than that? He already has $12 million in his bank and growing. His biggest problem now is being lonely surrounded by millions of fans. He is cool in that even if he goes out for a cup of coffee he will buy coffee for everyone in the place and is not shy to take selfies with anyone.

So is it easy to be Shawn Mendes? Just listen to his songs like the one he sings about “ Help me! It’s about the walls caving in. Sometimes I feel like giving up but I just can’t.  It isn’t in my  blood “. Hopefully it gives folks hope to look beyond all the crap in their lives now. That song is called In My Blood and is on his Grammy nominated Album and is a Grammy nominated single too. For him his anxiety started when his stardom took off. So then where is the happiness?  Being unknown or being a new rich popular star? He says close family and friends helps him through his fame now. He will be on another world tour in most of this year. Ultimately for a guy who got famous by being alone in his room making videos of himself nothing could be better than   being face to face with folks who love you.