Shawn Mendes is soul searching, again
album review of 'Shawn'
“I don’t really know who I am right now,” Shawn Mendes confesses on “Who I Am,” the opening track of his fifth studio album, Shawn. The acoustic ballad appears glazed with vulnerability, but it soon breaks open to reveal nothing but a hollow center. That one line captures the essence of the album perfectly—Shawn Mendes is more confused than ever.
It’s no secret that Mendes has been in a state of flux. In 2022, he abruptly canceled 80 dates of his world tour, citing mental health struggles. Stepping away from the spotlight, he embarked on a self-discovery journey. Armed with his guitar, he retreated into the woods to find himself again.
Fast forward to August 2024, Mendes returned with a pair of singles—“Why Why Why” and “Isn’t That Enough”—which leaned heavily into his newfound hippie aesthetic. The album trailer featured an assured Mendes whistling by the campfire with his friends, and to me, it looked honest and sincere. I was excited for him to shed light on his years of absence, his struggles with mental health, and everything else that he’s gone through as a teen pop star.
After a month-long postponement to “bring new ideas to life,” the self-titled album has finally arrived. Sonically, Shawn spots a clear folk singer-songwriter sound, in line with the initial singles we’ve heard. Lyrically, however, it was empty and got me wondering: what’s truly going on with Shawn Mendes?
Is this a case of an artist still in the process of shaping his identity, or does he simply not have one?
KEEPING IT REAL
Anxiety is a recurring theme in Mendes’ music. I recall as early as 2018’s “In My Blood,” when he first peeled back the layers of his polished nice-guy-loses-girl persona to reveal his inner fears.
But as much as Shawn wants to come across as authentic, I find that he often struggles to go beyond surface-level musings. Take “Who I Am” for instance. He addresses canceling his tour with the line: “Broke my heart when I cancelled tour,” and that’s it.
Then there’s “Why Why Why,” where Mendes sings: “Feels like there’s nothin’ new for me to say.” Oh Shawn, so self-aware but never astute enough to dig deeper. Such fleeting lyrics are characteristic of the album and it feels like Mendes is reluctant to linger on any emotion for too long.
Such superficiality also manifests in the album’s short length. Every song except one is under three minutes, leaving most tracks feeling like half-formed ideas. The lone exception? A baffling cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” Be it the original or the iconic Jeff Buckley rendition, the song has already long cemented its legacy in pop culture, and I don’t see the point in Mendes recording an official studio version. It’s like if Olivia Rodrigo recorded “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” for her next album. Why?
CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT
That’s not to say that the entire album is unremarkable. On “The Mountain,” Mendes addresses the endless speculation about his sexual orientation, something that has followed him for almost a decade now. “You can say I like girls or boys, whatever fits your mold,” he sings.
He first premiered “The Mountain” weeks ago at a live show, where he spoke candidly about his struggles. “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,” he confesses.
“It feels really scary living in a society that has a lot to say about that,” he adds. Truly, it’s hard not to feel bad for the guy and I’m glad he’s finding some glimpses of clarity amidst all the noise.
Mendes’ vulnerability is admirable, and it also explains the persistent uncertainty in his artistry. You may feel like you don’t know Shawn Mendes well as a listener, but that’s because he doesn’t quite know himself either. With the added context of his struggles with sexuality, his tentativeness feels more understandable, relatable even.
WHY WHY WHY?
As a teen pop star, Mendes found himself in a tricky position. I reckon most of his fans were initially drawn to his nice guy persona, but as they grew up, it seemed like he didn’t quite evolve with them.
Firstly, his relationship with Camila Cabello left fans divided. For a while, their love story dominated headlines, from french kissing on social media to zombie walks during quarantine. Heck, they even bagged a #1 hit from it. Yet, as the relationship progressed and the ridicule went on, the perception of Mendes began to shift, and he lost the approachable charm that made him so likeable in the first place.
Then came Sabrina Carpenter, who took a few pointed jabs at him on the record-breaking Short n Sweet this year. With scathing lyrics like “Try to come off like you're soft and well-spoken, jack off to lyrics by Leonard Cohen” and “I promise the mushrooms aren't changing your life,” even a child can connect the dots.
The thing about Shawn is that it’s not bad at all by any means; it’s just boring. There are a few sonically exciting moments, like the final chorus and outro of both “Why Why Why” and “Heart of Gold,” but ultimately, there’s no surefire hit to capture people’s attention after a hiatus. The melodies and production are largely generic folk-pop fare, and that’s exactly why the songwriting needed to be sharp to win people over.
Additionally, Mendes is not an albums artist that can still maintain his mainstream relevance without a hit radio single. He desperately needs one, but it also seems like he doesn’t care enough to want one.
WHA'T’S NEXT?
For the first time in his career, a Shawn Mendes album didn’t debut at #1. Nor the top 10 either. Instead, Shawn debuted at #26.
Commercial success clearly isn’t his focus anymore, which is fine—but let’s not pretend it doesn’t still sting to see a star burn out this young. He’s my age, so there’s always going to be a soft spot in my heart for him.
Personally, I’ve witnessed over the years just how brutal the internet can be towards Mendes—whether it’s the relentless bullying over gay rumors or the mockery surrounding his relationship with Camila Cabello. I genuinely hope he finds the space to come to terms with who he is and the artist he wants to be, and eventually emerges stronger from this.
Shawn, here’s my unsolicited advice: until you feel sure about how you want to open up, you can always go back to making fun and harmless bops like “Lost in Japan.”
And if you really want to stick with this new folk thing, maybe take a page out of Noah Kahan’s playbook. He strikes a perfect balance between personal, vulnerable songwriting and accessible pop melodies that resonates with the masses, and I feel like that’s exactly what Shawn could’ve and should’ve been.
Till then, all the best Shawn.
Stream Shawn now!
ooh loved this analysis so much!! i love how you're not quick to rule him out as bad, just boring. i completely agree with you