Taking time for himself. Shawn Mendes announced the cancellation of his Wonder World tour, citing mental health reasons for his decision.
“I started this tour excited to finally get back to playing live after a long break due to the pandemic, but the reality is I was not at all ready for how difficult touring would be after this time away,” the “Stitches” singer, 23, wrote in via Instagram on Wednesday, July 27. “After speaking more with my team and working with an incredible group of health professionals, it has become more clear that I need to take the time I’ve never taken personally, to ground myself and come back stronger.”
Mendes then noted that the rest of his North American tour dates — as well as those in the U.K. and Europe — would be canceled.
He continued: “We were hopeful that I might be able to pick up with the rest of the dates after some much needed time off, but at this time I have to put my health as my first priority. This doesn’t mean I won’t be making new music, and I can’t wait to see you on tour in the future.”
The Canada native concluded his statement by thanking his fans for “supporting” and “sticking by” him on his “journey,” while noting that he’s focusing on taking “the right time to heal.”
The cancellation comes after the “Treat You Better” songwriter initially postponed the tour, announcing a three-week hold at the beginning of July.
“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 toll of the road and the pressure has caught up to me and I’ve hit a breaking point,” the musician wrote via Instagram at the time. “After speaking with my team and health professionals, I need to take some time to heal and take care of myself and my mental health, first and foremost.”
Mendes has been candid about the various ups and downs he’s faced in the spotlight. The “There’s Nothing Holding Me Back” artist admitted in April in a vulnerable note shared via social media that he “constantly feels like he’s either flying or drowning,” believing that some of his insecurity possibly stems from being in his 20s.
“The truth is I really do wanna show up in the world as my 100% true honest unique self and not care what anyone thinks, sometimes I do!!” he added. “Sometimes I really don’t care what people think and I feel free. Most of the time its [sic] a struggle [though]. That’s the truth.”
