Shawn Mendes addresses long-standing rumors about his sexuality

Singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes opens up about his sexuality.

Rumors about his sexuality have been circulating for years, with the pop star apparently addressing the gossip during a show in Colorado on Monday night.

“You know, since I was really young, there's been this thing – this thing about my sexuality, and people have been talking about it for so long,” he says onstage in a nearly two-minute video posted by a fan on TikTok.

“And I think it's kind of silly because I think sexuality is such a wonderfully complex thing and it's so hard to just put it in boxes, and it always felt to me like an intrusion into something very personal, something “What I was just thinking about.” Myself, something I had yet to discover – and still have to discover,” he adds.

The 26-year-old then tells everyone “the real truth” and says he's “just figuring it out” like everyone else.

“Sometimes I don’t really know, sometimes I do,” he says. “And it feels really scary because we live in a society that just has a lot to say about it, and I'm trying to be really brave and just allow myself to be a human being and feel things and… yeah, That’s all I do.” I really want to say something about this for now.

Another video on TikTok includes a clip from his song “The Mountain,” which he performed during the tour. The lyrics seem to highlight his sexuality.

“Some days I have a change of heart. You can say what you need to say. You can say I'm too young. You can say I'm too old. You can say I like girls or boys. Whatever suits you,” he sings.

In 2022, Mendes postponed several concerts, citing mental health reasons in an announcement he shared on social media.

“It breaks my heart to have to say this, but unfortunately I have to postpone the next three weeks of shows in Uncasville, CT until further notice,” he wrote at the time.

“I've been touring since I was 15 and to be honest, being away from friends and family has always been difficult,” he added. “After a few years off the road I felt like I was ready to dive back in, but that decision was premature and unfortunately the stresses of the road and the pressure caught up with me and I reached a breaking point.”

These days he is on the road for his “For Friends and Family Tour”. He is expected to release a new album in November.