Shawn Mendes's latest album, Shawn, is 'an unraveling of sorts'

Music critics Natalie Harmsen, Rosie Long Decter and Suzy Exposito review his long-awaited new record

Image | Shawn Mendes 2024

Caption: Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes performs during the Rock in Rio music festival in the Rio 2016 Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on September 23, 2024. The singer recently addressed comments regarding his sexuality. (Mauro Pimentel/AFP/Getty Images)

After taking a highly publicized break from touring for mental health reasons in 2022, Canadian pop phenom Shawn Mendes is back with his first album in four years, titled Shawn.
The album marks a significant sonic and career shift, as the music charts new territory into a more vulnerable kind of lyricism as well as a folk and country-inspired sound.
As fans continue to digest the record and what it might mean for Mendes's future, one question remains to be answered: will this album be enough to return Mendes to his previous heights of fame — and does he even want that anymore?
Today on Commotion, music journalists Rosie Long Decter, Natalie Harmsen and Suzy Exposito discuss Shawn Mendes's roller coaster journey from viral teen sensation to mature adult artist, and whether his musical pivot bodes well for his return to the limelight.
LISTEN | Today's episode on YouTube:

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You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen(external link) or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts(external link).

Panel produced by Stuart Berman.

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