Shawn Mendes announced late Friday he is pausing his Wonder tour to focus on his mental health.
"I've been touring since I was 15 and to be honest it's always been difficult to be on the road away from friends and family," the 23-year-old Canadian singer wrote in a message he shared on social media. "After a few years off the road, I felt like I was ready to dive back in, but that decision was premature and unfortunately the toll of the road and the pressure has caught up to me and I've hit a breaking point.
"After speaking with my team and health professionals, I need to take some time to heal and take care of myself and my mental health, first and foremost."
Mendes said he is postponing 11 concerts scheduled over the next three weeks. None are in Canadian cities.
The singer has done shows in seven cities – including Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg – since launching Wonder: The World Tour on June 27. The only other Canadian dates are July 31 and Aug. 2 in Toronto and Aug. 15 and 16 in Montreal.
In April, Mendes revealed that he “constantly” feels like he is “either flying or drowning” and, despite his success, finds it hard “to feel like I’m not failing.” He wrote: “Sometimes I ask my self what it is that I should be doing with my life and what I always hear in return is ‘to tell the truth, to be the truth.’ I feel like that’s a hard thing to do though. I’m afraid that if people know and see the truth they might think less of me. They might become bored of me.
“So in those moments of feeling low I either put on a show or hide.”
Mendes added: “The truth is I really do wanna show up in the world as my 100% true honest unique self and not care what anyone thinks … sometimes I really don’t care what people think and I feel free. Most of the time its (sic) a struggle tho.”
The Canadian singer said he feels both “overwhelmed and overstimulated” but added “I’m okay.”
Mendes followed the note with tweets in which he assured his fans that he is “so okay.” He shared: “I guess I’m like damn if I’m feeling this with all of the blessings I have I imagine there must be so many people feeling this and just don’t want them to feel alone !!”
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Shawn Mendes Reveals Anxiety Left Him Unable To Sing
Last year, Mendes reflected on “a really dark time” he went through prior to the pandemic.
“I had so much anxiety that I actually couldn’t sing anymore,” he told GQ. "It was all in my throat, which a lot of men experience. We often experience those emotions as tension in our back, neck, and as pain in our bodies. I couldn’t sing anymore, and I always had a thing about quitting. I didn’t want to quit.”
Mendes added: “I was in this dark place, and I had to do something. And I was taking it out on other people, like in my relationships. I didn’t want to be that person.”
In 2020, Mendes said guys should not be shamed for being vulnerable.
"We need to cry. Stop thinking this is being brave and strong and start thinking it's the opposite, actually," he said. "We're holding in these emotions and not crying – and being a**holes. Nothing about that is nice."
Mendes' decision comes five years after fellow Canadian artist Justin Bieber pulled the plug on his Purpose World Tour with 15 shows left, including two in Toronto. (Bieber later explained: “I got really depressed on tour ... I was lonely. I needed some time.") At the time, singer John Mayer tweeted his support. “When someone pulls remaining dates of a tour, it means they would have done real damage to themselves if they kept going,” he wrote. “I give Justin [thumbs up] for realizing it was time to call it. You should too."
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, click here to get help.