Shawn Mendes recalls being teased for his music, advises fans, “Follow your heart”

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Brian ZiffFollowing the release of “Senorita,” his new song and video with Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes posted a heartfelt note on Instagram advising fans to ignore the haters and stay true to themselves.

“I’m thinking about being in 9th grade right now,” he wrote. “The day after I posted one of my first covers onto YouTube back in 2014…at school walking down the hall straight into a group of older guys yelling out ‘sing for me Shawn sing for me!’ In a way that made me feel absolutely horrible… made me feel like a joke, like what I was doing was just stupid & wrong.”

“I was lucky though, I had the best friends & the best parents anyone could ask for…no matter what, they would never let me stop doing what I LOVED to do just because someone ELSE thought it was stupid,” he continues.

“To make someone feel bad about doing what they love… every single person deserves to do what makes them feel alive.”

Shawn then notes that his post is aimed at “not only the 15-year-old kid who’s scared to follow their heart because of what people might say, but also the 50-year-old who may be doing the exact same thing.”

His message? “I know it’s not just that easy…BUT I want you to know that no matter how old you are, no matter who you are, no matter where you’re from… you deserve to follow your heart. I’m here & I’m rooting for you.”

Camila responded with the crying emoji, writing, “This is beautiful.”

And Niall Horan added, “Couldn’t relate or agree with something more If I tried… we had the last laugh.”

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