The singer-songwriter offered a glimpse at his favorite new musical practice: Playing the harmonium and singing whatever comes out
Shawn Mendes offered fans a glimpse at the musical exercise he’s embraced during moments of “extreme anxiety or fear” over the past year.
The singer-songwriter shared a clip on Instagram of him playing a harmonium and allowing himself to just sing whatever he wants “with full trust.” It’s a practice, he noted, that went a long way toward helping him “ease the pain.”
Mendes said this approach — embracing a willingness to “sing without perfection” — wasn’t easy at first. “But after a while,” he continued, “I actually started to fall in love with the dance between the ‘right’ and the ‘wrong’ notes. I realized there were only moments of bliss and euphoria from the ‘right’ notes BECAUSE of the ‘wrong’ notes. The only reason I can sing in key is because I’ve learned to listen.”
That kind of acceptance and embrace tied into the big lesson Mendes said he took from 2023: “To accept and welcome the lows of life… not to constantly need to change or fix something in order to feel high again, because I know if I really slow down and listen when I’m low there’s always something to hear.”
Mendes took some small steps toward returning to music last year after deciding to cancel the remainder of his 2022 tour to take a break and focus on his mental health. He shared a new solo song about the climate crisis, “What the Hell Are We Dying For?” and linked up with Jacob Collier, Stormzy, and Kirk Franklin for the collaboration, “Witness Me.”
Last June, Mendes returned to the stage for the first time since canceling his tour, as well. He popped up at Ed Sheeran’s concert in Toronto (Mendes’ hometown) to perform Sheeran’s “Lego House,” as well as an acoustic rendition of his own song, “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back.”
Mendes’ last solo album was 2020’s Wonder. Speaking with The Wall Street Journal last year about getting back into music, he said, “I’m at the point where I’m like, ‘OK, I’m ready to start making some songs,’ which is exciting… The process was very difficult. A lot of doing therapy, a lot of trying to understand how I was feeling and what was making me feel that way. And then doing the work to help myself and heal. And also leaning on people in my life to help a little bit.”