Shawn Mendes talks life in quarantine with Camila Cabello

When Covid-19 first began to spread in North America, imposed quarantines meant people who typically traveled for work suddenly found themselves staying at home for extended periods. That includes celebrities. For Canadian musician Shawn Mendes, he decided to isolate with girlfriend Camila Cabello at her home in Miami. Mendes was preparing to write his fourth studio album when the pandemic set in and on Tuesday night, he told Jimmy Fallon that what at first appeared to be a disaster for his writing process ended up being a blessing.Mendes was in Cabello’s home on October 27 when he appeared on The Tonight Show and spoke to Fallon about writing his new album Wonder in Miami. "When I got here, it was like the beginning of the album process and I was like in a full panic state,” said Mendes."I was like, 'There's no way I'm going to make music. This is going to be impossible,’” continued the 22-year-old. "But like a week goes by and you start cooking eggs in the morning, you start doing laundry and taking dogs for walks, and you have a coffee mug that you use the same one every day, and it just becomes like really nice, which sounds so normal for everyone else but it's very abnormal for me. I've basically been living in hotel rooms since I was 15. So, it's been nice, man, it's been really nice."

 

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A post shared by Shawn Mendes (@shawnmendes) on Oct 27, 2020 at 7:47am PDT

Mendes said being forced to slow down and spend an extended period in one place had a major effect on his writing process for Wonder, due out December 4. “I had a real moment to find some stillness and just be quiet with myself and also find some confidence with my work that I was doing," he explained. "There was a real place inside of me that was scared of saying something wrong or saying something wrong or doing something wrong or saying the wrong thing. After chilling out and reflecting a bit, I found this place where, when we’re talking about matters of the heart, you don’t have to be an expert.”Mendes also credited Cabello and her support for helping him execute the initial vision he had for his latest record. Recently acknowledging his girlfriend as the inspiration for ‘every song he’s ever written,’ Mendes said Cabello helped him believe in his new record.“From the very beginning I told her my thesis statement of what I wanted the album to be. It was the best thing I did,” said Mendes. “There’s always a point halfway through a project where you’re like, ‘this is garbage. This is the worst thing I’ve ever done,” continued Mendes. “That’s when you need that support to say no, stick with the idea, because the idea is beautiful, it’s going to turn out. I probably would have been discouraged enough to move into a different world sonically if I didn’t have her backing me the whole time. I’m thankful for that.” Taking inspiration from Frankie Valli, the Beach Boys and the Beatles, Mendes said Wonder sounds ‘like freedom,’ adding that he hopes his music will help people feel love during a time of uncertainty and fear. Sharing the stage with his band, Mendes belted out his new single and title track during Tuesday’s Tonight Show appearance, which gave the Grammy-nominee a chance to step back on stage after months away from his typical worldwide touring schedule. In addition to his new album, Mendes is also releasing a companion documentary. In Wonder will drop November 23 on Netflix and promises an unfiltered look at Mendes’ rise to fame. “It’s very raw,” said Mendes. “For me, the more vulnerable I find myself, I feel like it’s very helpful for other people to feel in their story, in their life.” Calling the documentary an “insanely vulnerable, insanely raw and insanely honest portrait” of what it’s like to be him, Mendes said that he and director Grant Singer wanted an unpolished and realistic look at the singer’s life.The new doc will revisit Mendes’ early days uploading covers on the new defunct social media site Vine, which helped the Pickering native land a record deal. Crediting those closest to him and their encouragement to follow his passion, Mendes said that the early support from his family, friends and teachers pushed him to pursue music. “For me to have all these people in my life who said, ‘you can do this,’ it was life-changing for me,” said Mendes. Speaking to Fallon about his first performance on The Tonight Show, Mendes said the late night host was instrumental in helping him early in his career. “You gave me that support and that love,” added Mendes. [video_embed id='-1']BEFORE YOU GO: Little girl shows university football players how it's done[/video_embed]