Main image via Entertainment Tonight
It's true, sometimes even the best musicians have stage fright. And it's no different for Shawn Mendes.
Hard to believe right? But it's true! There was a point in time when Shawn used to get extremely nervous about singing in front of huge crowds. Fast forward to now, Shawn has not only overcome his stage fright, he's one of the best performers around too!
The singer has one person to thank for helping him through his nerves, and that someone is Taylor Swift. Back in 2015, Shawn toured with Taylor as the opening act for her 1989 World Tour. While on this tour, Taylor imparted some wise words to Shawn.
Image via Billboard
Speaking at Billboard's Live Music Summit in Los Angeles, Shawn talked about his rise to fame and how he's grown as an artist. During the panel, the singer spoke about Taylor's advice that he carries with him to this day.
"She said to me one day, 'Are you nervous?' And, I got nervous just because she's Taylor Swift — my face would get red every time. But, she goes, 'Are you nervous?' And I was like, 'Yeah.' She goes, 'Why?' I was like, 'I just don’t want to mess up,' which is the main reason. She goes, 'Everybody in the audience is there to have fun and support you. Literally, nobody is there to judge. It’s not a TV show where they're here to judge you,'" he said.
And from that moment, it clicked.
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Shawn went on to explain, "Kind of since that moment, I really learned what it meant to be a performer and it wasn’t about being perfect — it was about enjoying it. Because you watch someone on stage and whatever they’re doing, if they are truly enjoying themselves, so are you."
And Taylor lives by her own advice, rocking the stage every time she steps foot on it. Shawn got to watch it firsthand during their tour together.
"She went on stage every night to have fun, to enjoy and to be in happiness because that’s what the live show is about. It wasn’t about being perfect. She’s perfect either way, but that was the biggest thing I learned from her," he said.
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In May, Shawn once again joined Taylor as a special guest on her Reputation stadium tour. They performed "There's Nothing Holding Me Back" together during her Rose Bowl show.
Shawn spoke about the guest appearance saying, "It was unbelievable. It was obviously just really awesome to be back and to be with her, but it’s a very different thing to be brought out as a special guest from opening. Unreal, man. I wish you could experience what it feels like."
Image via YouTube
We wish we could too! Can someone start a petition to have Shawn and Taylor back on tour together please?
Info via Bustle