Shawn Mendes has opened up about his mental health struggles and also reveals he prefers to feel ‘f**ked up’ in order to write music.
The 22-year-old Canadian superstar has released four albums since bursting on to the music scene in 2014 – with all four hitting the top of the charts in his native country and in the USA.
But writing music can be tricky for the Treat You Better hitmaker as he feels he needs to reach a ‘place of angst’ in order to create his best work.
Shawn, who is an ambassador for the meditation app Calm which aims to help subscribers reduce anxiety, opened up about his metal health during a new magazine interview.
Asked how often he sees a therapist, Shawn told Wonderland Magazine: “Twice a week. Where I am currently in my life, it’s a lot about realising you just got to let your humanity spill out, you know?
“You just gotta let it be there. I’m just trying to be there for myself and accept that. It’s hard. Sometimes it’s like I don’t know what I want to say.
“Sometimes also I have this weird thing when I’m making music I kind of wanna be a little f***ked up.
"Because you’re coming from a place of angst and you’re making music and you’re anxious, but it’s also creating emotional stuff. It’s weird.”
The star previously discussed mental health and therapy when releasing his 2018 single, In My Blood – a track that details his struggles with anxiety.
He said that year: "Therapy is listening to music and running on the treadmill, therapy is going to dinner with your friends—it's something that distracts you, that helps you heal and so it just depends on what you think therapy is. I made a conscious effort to be more connected to the people in my life.
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"I found I was closing myself off from everybody, thinking that would help me battle it then realizing the only way I was going to battle it was completely opening up and letting people in."
Announcing his partnership with Calm in May, Shawn wrote on Instagram at the time: “In honor of #MentalHealthAwareness Month, I’ve partnered with @calm to help destigmatize the conversation around mental health.
“The app has helped me so much on and off stage. Access to tools to support your mental wellbeing is something everyone should have.
“You can now listen to my new series #BreatheIntoIt on Calm, where I give insight into my own mindfulness journey.”
Meanwhile, Shawn has been teasing fans in recent weeks that new music could soon be on the way.
Sharing a string of Photos on Instagram recently, he wrote: “Im making songs im realllly proud of guys.”
Shawn’s last album, Wonder, was released in December last year and included the singles Call My Friends, and Monster – a duet with fellow Canadian pop star Justin Bieber.
The record received high praise from music critics and hit the top of the album charts in Canada and America, and hit number 12 in the UK.
A Netflix documentary titled Shawn Mendes: In Wonder was released to coincide with the album release and gave fans access to the singers album making process.
The documentary also granted fans insight into Shawn's day to day life and gave glimpses of his romantic life with fellow pop singer girlfriend, Camila Cabello, as the pair were captured on camera larking around and frequently locking lips.
