Shawn Mendes Feels Like a Better Version of Himself Now. He Credits Therapy — and Taking Himself ‘Less Seriously’

Shawn Mendes is opening up about feeling “better” as he gets older.

In a new conversation with Interview magazine published Monday, Oct. 14, the singer spoke with fellow musician John Mayer about his hiatus, his upcoming album Shawn, “growing up” and feeling “better” in his own skin.

As the two singer-songwriters spoke, Mendes, 25, explained that working on this latest album, he was able to “return the most to [him].” He added, “It’s already given me more than any of my albums by so much, and I haven’t even shown anyone.”

He explained to Mayer, 46, that he felt he was able to find himself while making the album — which Mendes’ mother speculated about, too.

He revealed, “I think within finding yourself, there’s humor. There’s not taking myself so seriously. I don’t feel like I’m waking up every day and stepping into the role of Shawn. I feel like I’m just waking up as him.”

“You’re not necessarily a moving target when it comes to figuring yourself out. If you figured another parcel of yourself out, do you get to keep that forever?” Mayer asked.

“I’m always here to let parts die,” Mendes confessed. “But subconsciously I hold onto some parts.” When Mayer prompted him to elaborate, Mendes explained that “because of therapy,” the newest part of himself he likes the most is that he’s “not as extreme anymore.”

As the duo’s conversation continued, Mendes admitted that he’s reckoning with aging. Mayer acknowledged that facing aging is “relative.”

Mendes began to shed some light, explaining, “Of course. It’s funny, when you go through your first breakup, it feels like you all-of-a-sudden have all the answers in the world. You’re like, ‘Hey, man, I’ve seen it all at that point.'” (Mendes previously dated Camila Cabello for several years before breaking up in 2021, then briefly getting back together, and breaking up again in 2023.)

However, he continued and revealed, “But to be honest, if someone was like, ‘What do you think the number one reason for you feeling generally better these days is?’ I’d probably first answer therapy, and secondly, just taking myself less seriously.”

“This isn’t meant to diminish anything you’ve gone through, but everything that you’ve wrestled with just seems to be the natural progression of figuring out getting older,” said Mayer. 

“But because you’re so sensitive to things, it can read with the kind of severity that something’s a real emergency. You didn’t make a wrong turn.” The guitarist added, “The idea that you’ve turned it into a record is so exciting to me.”

Mendes’ upcoming album, Shawn, will be released on Friday, Nov. 15.