Shawn Mendes has Taylor Swift to thank for helping him over his stage nerves
Taylor Swift taught Shawn Mendes to overcome his stage nerves.
The 'In My Blood' hitmaker admits he used to get terrified every time he stepped up onto the stage but thanks to the kind words of the 'Shake It Off' singer, he learned that he didn't have to worry about making every performance perfect and instead just focus on having fun.
He said: "She said to me one day, 'Are you nervous?' and, I got nervous just because she's Taylor Swift. My face would get red every time! I said, 'Yes, I just don't want to mess up.' She goes, 'Everybody in the audience is there to have fun and support you. Nobody is there to judge. It's not a TV show where they're judging you.' From that moment, I really learned what it means to be a performer and it wasn't about being perfect - it was about enjoying it. Because you watch someone on stage and whatever they're doing, if they're really enjoying themselves, so are you. She went onstage every night to have fun, to enjoy and to be in happiness because that's what the live show is about. It wasn't about being perfect. She's perfect anyway, but that was the biggest thing I learned from her."
And the 20-year-old singer admits to getting "overwhelmed" sometimes by his commitments but is grateful to have his longtime manager, Andrew Gertler, to speak to and now he feels he can tackle anything.
He told Billboard: "The big thing for me was every time I felt overwhelmed and didn't tell Andrew, I got deeper into this hole. So, now every time I have even a small amount of that overwhelming feeling, I tell him immediately, because if you're not solving the problem the second it starts, you're going to create this massive, massive thing.
"I found that the less I would give out and explain how I was feeling, all of sudden Andrew would ask me to sign 10 posters and I would stress over it. When I started to explain how I felt and tackle all these things, I could sign 10 posters and do 10 shows and it would be no problem."
