Shawn Mendes is back with brand new music, and we could not be more excited to welcome him back to #MostRequestedLive for an interview this weekend! Shawn talked about his new song "Wonder," making his forthcoming album in quarantine, using his platform to call out social injustice and lots more. Check out some of the highlights and then listen to the full interview below!

On the inspiration for his new music and recording an album in quarantine:

"I feel like it was a weird time to be making music, and it's been really scary and hard for a lot of people. It was crazy, because we went to go make the album, and we were writing for two weeks, and then all of a sudden lockdown happened. I'm moving in to Camila's house in Miami with her parents, and I'm learning how to do laundry and make dinner for the first time. I've been touring since I was fifteen, so this is literally the first time. It was amazing. It really was this moment of like, oh wow, this feels right. With that, I was also panicking, because I was like, there's no way this album is gonna happen. And then, I guess because I didn't have the opportunity to just run into a studio, I started journaling a lot. The world stopped, but all of everything that you were just running full pace after just kind of caught up to me, and my world. I had a moment to reflect what I've gone through, and not only that, but when I was done with that, what is happening in the world and everything. It was kind of overwhelming, but I started writing 'I wonder this, I wonder that, I wonder this, I wonder that' and it was just this real conscious flow of reflection. I think that's what the song is, and also I think that's the essence of the album. Once you hear the album, once you get a chance to listen top to bottom, it really has this reflective essence to it that I feel really good about. It's been a really crazy time."

On what he's learned about himself during the past several months:

"The biggest thing that I feel like I learned was to not associate myself with what I do, and my achievements, and my success. If you start to connect yourself to the success you have, then if one person doesn't think that your song is the best in the world, then it feels like you're heart's breaking. I feel like I was so intertwined with everything that I did, that it felt like I was on the edge of freaking out at all times. Finally, when I slowed down, I think I got to a place where I was like, you know what? I really like this music, I feel good about it, it does something to me, and I really love it. I sent it to my Mom, she loves it, my sister -- who is my biggest critic -- she loves it. If no one else likes it, I think I'm going to be okay. It's done what it's already needed to do. That was a huge lesson for me, moving forward in life. You just get stuck if you associate yourself with your success."

On using his platform to call out social injustice:

"It's THE most important, and honestly -- I think what I am learning, even starting a foundation, and also making the album and everything -- when it comes to this stuff, you don't have to be an expert when it comes to matters of the heart, you just have to take a second, take a breath and be like, 'Is this wrong or is this right?' Every single person, if they really dig deep enough, has that moral compass. When it comes to knowledge, there are so many people that have so much more knowledge and so much better ways of explaining things than I do. Giving my platform over to people is the most effective and smartest thing to do, which is an incredible feeling."

Listen to Shawn Mendes' full conversation with Maxwell below.

Karianne

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