Shawn Mendes ‘Illuminates’ his path to adulthood

Many 18-year-olds are currently celebrating the cease of their first college midterms.

Of course, Canadian singer and songwriter turned pop star Shawn Mendes is not like the average 18-year-old.

After becoming an overnight sensation at just 15 on Vine in 2013 by posting 10-second clips of his amazing vocals, Mendes is now selling out concerts at Madison Square Garden in under 5 minutes.

After his first album “Handwritten” was released, it debuted on the Billboard 200 album chart at No. 1 for a week. Mendes somehow found a way to exceed his fans’ sky-high expectations after releasing his sophomore album called “Illuminate” on Sept. 23.  

In the album, Mendes shows off his combination of unbelievable vocals with well-written and deep lyrics about growing up and falling in love in all 15 songs on his newest album.

A few months before the release of his album, Mendes put out his single “Treat you Better,” which has garnered over 223 million views for its music video — becoming the most popular track on the album.

The song uses guitar instrumentation to set the beat and weaves in the same passionate and soft vocals that made “Stitches” popular for the perfect harmony. The song’s catchy chorus perfectly complements his lyrics, making it no surprise that the single earned the No. 6 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 list.

In the song, Mendes promises that he can treat his listeners better, as part of his stand against domestic violence. He enforces his stand by including The National Domestic Violence Hotline number at the end of the song’s music video.

His third track on the album is “Mercy,” an emotionally driven ballad that focuses on a relatable subject: heartbreak. In just one week, the music video reached over 7 million views. Mendes gives the song a unique twist with his rhythmic humming. The acoustic version of “Mercy” offers a gentle take on the song.

Another guitar instrumental heavy track, “Patience,” was inspired by Mendes’s past relationship with an older girl who broke the relationship because she was wary of the age difference. However, to connect with a larger audience, Mendes speaks for most young adults when he sings about being fed up with being treated differently because of his age.

At age 18, Mendes reveals how much he has matured and grown to be capable of being treated as an adult through tracks like “Hold On.”

In “Hold On,” Mendes emphasizes keeping a positive outlook to life despite difficult circumstances. Mendes quotes his father in the song, turning the piece into a heartfelt message that can be used to comfort and inspire his fans who are facing challenging times.

Mendes’s music in the album itself may seem unbeatable, but his whole process of creating the album is even more impressive. Mendes made sure he was involved in writing every song on the album to personalize them, a result of artists’ like Ed Sheeran’s and John Mayer’s influence on Mendes. Mayer’s musical influence can also be heard in the combination of heartfelt lyrics and soothing music of Mendes’s songs like “Ruin,” “Don’t Be A Fool” and “Three Empty Words.”

To write and record the album, Mendes went to the Clubhouse, a studio in the middle of the woods in upstate New York. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Mendes said they would “wake up and go for a run, go to the gym, then write till 9 o’clock at night. We’d take a break, eat dinner, then write till 3 a.m. producing and writing on repeat.”

Mendes and the other eight writers also composed “Understand,” the last track on “Illuminate,” by sprawling on the floor of the studio, listening to the piano instrumental on loop. In the track, Mendes sings about understanding and overcoming difficulties in his own life and even includes a minute of him candidly speaking about dealing with change while still remaining the same person.

Despite being just 18, Mendes demonstrates his maturity through his thoughtfully written songs and layered messages in “Illuminate.” Combined with the gifted vocals that brought him to popularity, the album is a must-have.

5 / 5 stars