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There’s Nothing Holding Us Back From Looking at How Far Shawn Mendes Has Come!

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Aug 5, 2021 6:00 pm·

By Jaclyn Roth

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He’s grown up so fast! Shawn Mendes first appeared on the scene in 2014, and since then, he has become a huge pop star. If you have ever seen him in concert, you know that girls are constantly going crazy over the Canada native. Let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we?

Though it didn’t seem possible that Shawn could get any more famous, he did just that when he and girlfriend Camila Cabello started dating in 2019. They sparked romance rumors several times that summer while being spotted locking lips and holding hands in different cities around the country, including New York City, Los Angeles and Miami.

In September 2019, the former Fifth Harmony star opened up about her romance with Shawn. “Honestly, this past year and a half was the first time I really experienced falling in love with another person. I think there is so much more depth to love when you know you are in it with another person. You have so much more to say — I think that’s what makes me emotional,” she gushed to Elle. “I’ve loved people from afar, but falling in love with someone and having feelings for someone, but they don’t know … It’s different.”

It’s clear the pair have learned a lot from one another. Shawn previously revealed that his girlfriend has taught him a lot about body positivity. “[Camila is] so strong, so clear and confident with her [body] and so articulate and empathetic about other people’s,” he revealed to British GQ in a November 2020 interview. “It really changed my view of mine. It really changed my life. … You are not your body. You are not your voice. You are not your songs. You are you and people love you because of you.”

The pair have been going strong lately and have been spotted out and about on several dates together over the last few months. “Despite their busy careers, they’ve spent much of the past year together. They were in love and were best friends — they still are,” an insider previously told In Touch. “The past year was a whirlwind for them, and they supported each other so much.”

Scroll through the gallery below to see photos of Shawn Mendes from young to now!

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Shawn Mendes Transformation

The Beginning

So, how did Shawn get so famous in the first place? The handsome hunk started his career on Vine — the six-second video app that became a phenomenon in 2013. Shawn started posting clips of himself singing, and his first video was a cover of Justin Bieber’s hit song “As Long as You Love Me.”

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Shawn Mendes Transformation

Leap of Faith

The “Stitches” crooner revealed he would pick out the songs he would cover along with the sections of the tracks. “You’d think, ‘I don’t understand why the kid has so many followers because it’s only six seconds. How are you supposed to know if he’s any good at six seconds?’” he told Billboard magazine in 2014. “But there’s an art behind getting people to be intrigued because you only have six or six and a half seconds to impress people.

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Shawn Mendes Transformation

High Demand

Shortly after, record labels came knocking on his door. “Island Records was the first record label to … acknowledge me,” he said. “After that, quickly Republic Records, and then Atlantic Records, Sony Records and Warner Bros. It was all the labels at once. It was absolutely insane like knowing that this many record labels were interested in me.”

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Shawn Mendes Transformation

Top of the Charts

His single “Life of the Party” came out in 2014, and it was an instant bop. He also released his debut EP with Island Records called The Shawn Mendes EP which made it to No. 5 on the musical charts and sold more than 100,000 copies.

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Shawn Mendes Transformation

Musicians Meeting

Ed Sheeran even flew to meet Shawn in Los Angeles for dinner after watching his videos that his now-manager Andrew Gertler sent to Ed. “I feel like he was trying to help me be successful in the industry by giving me all this advice,” Shawn said. “He’s the most humble guy I’ve ever met. I forgot he’s my idol. I felt like I was in the room with one of my buddies.”

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Shawn Mendes Transformation

Overnight Celebrity

Shawn was still in shock that he became an overnight sensation. “I think what’s going to happen is it’s me and the guitar, the most raw experience with me and my fans,” he told Billboard at the time about what his concerts would be like. “I’m definitely not used to anything that’s going on. I’m in awe.”

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Shawn Mendes Transformation

Fast Friends

Then, Shawn started collaborating with big artists such as Hailee Steinfeld and now-girlfriend Camila. Shawn met her when her former girl band opened for Austin Mahone on tour. The brunette beauty recalled that Shawn was always on the tour bus playing his guitar.

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Shawn Mendes Transformation

The Start of Something New

“Yeah, that was me. I didn’t talk to anybody,” he confessed to V magazine in June 2019. “[Camila] was the only person that talked to me. Like, you were the only one of everybody on that tour who would say words to me. Actually, I think if we go into our DM’s or something, there’s a photo from the day we met, I think.” The two would later collaborate on their song called “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”

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Shawn Mendes Transformation

School Boy

Even though Shawn was a little busy with music, he still managed to get his high school diploma in 2016. “I really miss that whole experience of being in the classroom,” he told Just Jared Jr. in an interview. “And then also, all the sports teams, all the music events, the talent shows, the camps — and actually, they’ve let me go to the leadership camps, and I’ll be able to go to prom. So, it will be really awesome.”

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Shawn Mendes Transformation

Seeing the World

In 2017, Shawn embarked on his second solo concert tour. “I’m really excited to go everywhere,” he told PopCrush before he left. “There are so many far away places I haven’t gone to yet that I am finally going to get to.”

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Shawn Mendes Transformation

Honest Mistake

The Grammy nominee also got candid about certain times he has messed up on stage. “I’ve had a few,” he said. “One particular one was forgetting what city I was in, shouting out the wrong city. That is the worst. And another was just going to say something, and the words coming out like jumbled nothingness. Sometimes your brain just goes on you on stage, and it’s so embarrassing!”

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Shawn Mendes Transformation

The Story of Us

How does Shawn come up with ideas as to what to write a song about? “So, many of my songs are based on things that either happened to me or to someone I know,” he revealed. “But there are also ones where I’ve written a made-up story. All of them are about very real emotions, and I just find different ways to express them.”

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Shawn Mendes Transformation

Special Moment

In November 2017, Shawn won his first American Music Award for his hit song “There’s Nothing Holding Me Back.” The musician took the stage and couldn’t stop smiling during his acceptance speech. “Thank you so much for this. This incredible,” he said. “Ed [Sheeran] and Bruno [Mars] are basically two of the reasons I started singing in the first place, so to be nominated next to them is really incredible. My fans, I love you guys. Thank you guys for being so supportive. I have probably said this before, but you guys make me look really cool. I love you, guys.”

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Shawn Mendes Transformation

So Little Time, So Much to Do

In March 2018, Shawn released the lead single “In My Blood” from his third studio album, and then followed up with his second single called Lost in Japan.” Additionally, Shawn performed at music festival across Europe, appeared on various TV shows, and he was one of the musical performers at the 2018 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

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Shawn Mendes Transformation

Old Flings

So far, Shawn has maintained his squeaky-clean image, but at the 2018 Met Gala, he made headlines when he showed up with Justin’s now-wife, Hailey Baldwin. However, Shawn never called it a relationship. “I don’t even wanna put a title on it,” he told Rolling Stone in November 2018. “I think it was more of a zone of limbo.”

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Shawn Mendes Transformation

Nothing but Love

After news broke that Hailey and Justin were an item, Shawn didn’t have regrets about his romance with the model. “I texted Hailey, ‘Congratulations,’ and I really am happy for them,” he said. “She’s still one of the f—king coolest people ever — she’s not just a beautiful person visually, but she’s one of the most beautiful hearts I’ve ever met.”

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Shawn Mendes Transformation

Loaded Question

Shawn also addressed those rumors about his sexuality. “I thought, ‘You f—king guys are so lucky that I’m not actually gay and terrified of coming out,” he told the outlet. “That’s something that kills people. That’s how sensitive it is. Do you like the songs? Do you like me? Who cares if I’m gay? I noticed a lot of people were saying I gave them a ‘gay vibe.’ First of all, I’m not gay. Second of all, it shouldn’t make a difference if I was or wasn’t.”

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Shawn Mendes Transformation

Love Is in the Air

These days, Shawn seems to be smitten with Camila. They even collaborated on a hit song, “Señorita.”

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Shawn Mendes Transformation

No Worries

The Calvin Klein model has a different outlook on life now. “I think that all of the things I was putting importance on were so wrong,” he said. “Like three years ago. Like the things I worried about and the things I was hoping people were liking and just like unnecessary stress and anxieties on things that I didn’t need to worry about … I used to get so nervous and numb about everything.”

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Shawn Mendes Transformation

We Love You, Shawn!

Shawn is clearly becoming comfortable in his skin, and now he is a total babe!

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shawn-mendes-transformation-2020

Growing Up

In 2020, Shawn looked so mature and attractive in his maroon suit while attending the Grammy Awards.

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shawn-mendes-transformation-2021

Long-Haired Boy

The singer flaunted his shaggy long locks while out at dinner with Camila in 2021.

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