Two years after pulling out of his World Tour to prioritize his mental health, Shawn Mendes is back. The Canadian singer-songwriter, 26, signaled a new horizon in his music career when he dropped “Why Why Why” earlier this year. With a new album on the way Oct. 18, Mendes took the stage Wednesday (Sept. 11) at UBS Arena in Long Island, New York, for the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards.
Shawn Mendes Has Been Teasing New Music
Shawn Mendes premiered a new song, “Nobody Knows,” at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards show. Producers Mike Sabath and Eddie Benjamin performed alongside him.
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The “Treat You Better” singer shared his excitement for the new music by posting a clip to Instagram Monday (Sept. 9.)
“I’m absolutely BEAMING to play this song live,” he wrote in the caption. “I’ll be on stage with my brothers @mikesabath and @eddiebenjamin for the first time. I can’t wait for this one.”
An ecstatic fan commented on the Instagram post: “HE IS BACK PEOPLE.”
[RELATED: Top 10 Shawn Mendes Songs]
“Nobody Knows” came about on a “tough night,” Mendes said in a video posted to social media. “I was dealing with some feelings, and we were having some whiskey, and we were in the studio,” he said. “The actual version that you guys are going to hear, we performed it and we recorded it one time. Full take through, top to bottom. It was just that. We did it once, we did it together, and we did it live. And it was just kind of this beautiful captured moment in time.”
Getting Candid About Awards Shows
Shawn Mendes is no stranger to the VMAs stage. The “Stitches” singer last performed at the ceremony in 2019. Even so, he admitted that nerves still get the best of him.
“I don’t know about you guys who have been to award shows, but they’re tough, man,” Mendes revealed Tuesday (Sept. 10) in a video posted to X/Twitter. “For me in the past, they’ve been pretty uncomfortable and pretty intimidating and scary. It’s amazing to be able to play them, but… yeah, they’re freaky.”
Fortunately, he didn’t have to do it alone. Mendes said that getting to share the stage with producers Mike Sabath and Eddie Benjamin—whom the artist called his closest friends—”is just so healing to me.”
Featured image by Christopher Victorio/ImageSPACE/Shutterstock
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