- By Ken Werther
- Photo Courtesy of Shawn Mendes
Talk about tween mania! The Jonas Brothers, Corbin Bleu, Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, Jesse McCartney, Ashley Tisdale, Hilary Duff, Hanson, Justin Bieber, The Wanted, One Direction… and now…Shawn Mendes! This 16-year-old Canadian recently released his self-titled Shawn Mendes EP and the debut single “Life of the Party” is fueling his rising mainstream success as a singer-songwriter and touring artist.
Full disclosure, when LAArtsOnline.com asked me to write about Mendes, I had never heard of him. And even though I’m old enough to be his grandfather, I’ve clearly been living under a rock! Born in Toronto, Mendes started posting cover videos on the popular social video app Vine in 2013 and picked up millions of views and followers in a matter of months. As he became well known for six-second snippets of renditions of many popular songs, talent manager Andrew Gertler contacted Mendes in January of this year and signed him to Island Records. Mendes released “Life of the Party” in June and he became the youngest artist ever to chart a debut song in the top 25 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
Prior to signing his recording contract, Mendes was a member of the MagCon Tour alongside other young artists and social media sensations. He is currently on a nationwide tour with fellow teen pop star Austin Mahone. I’m actually kind of incredulous. And boy, do I feel old!
Click here for all things Shawn Mendes online.
