Early life

Mendes was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and was raised in Pickering, a suburb of the city. He is the son of Karen, a real estate agent, and Manuel Mendes, a businessman, selling bar and restaurant supplies in Toronto. His father is Portuguese (from Algarve), while his mother is English. He attended Pine Ridge Secondary School in Pickering, Ontario.

Career

2014-present: Handwritten

Main article: Handwritten (Shawn Mendes album)

He first started posting cover videos on the popular social video app Vine in 2013 and gained millions of views and followers in a months, becoming well known for his six-second snippets of renditions of many popular songs. By August 2014, he was the third most-followed musician on Vine. Artist manager Andrew Gertler discovered Mendes online in January 2014, bringing him to Island Records where he eventually signed and released his first single "Life of the Party" in June 2014. He is the youngest 15 year old artist to debut in the top 25 with a debut song on the Billboard Hot 100, making to number 24 for the week ending July 12, 2014.

Prior to his signing, Mendes toured as a member of the MagCon Tour alongside other young artists and social media sensations. Mendes was also on a nationwide tour with Austin Mahone as an opening act, releasing his debut major label EP in July. The EP debuted and peaked at number five on Billboard 200, selling 48,000 copies in its first week. He won the Teen Choice award in 2014 for Webstar in Music.

On April 14, 2015, Mendes released his full-length album Handwritten, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart with 119,000 equivalent album units, selling 106,000 copies in its first week. However, it suffered a 89% traditional sales decrease in its second week. The third single from the album, "Stitches", peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his first top 10 single in the US and later his first number one on the Mainstream Top 40 chart. Mendes recorded a song called "Believe" for Disney Channel Original Movie Descendants. He also opened for Taylor Swift during 1989 World Tour dates for North America.

Mendes was listed among Time's The 25 Most Influential Teens in 2014 and 2015. He also made his first appearance on a Forbes list with their annual "30 Under 30", for 2016.

In late 2015, Mendes and Camila Cabello from Fifth Harmony released their collaborative track "I Know What You Did Last Summer". The song was included on Mendes' Handwritten Revisited reissue. He appeared on The CW's The 100 third season premiere on January 21, 2016. In January 2016, "Stitches" reached number one in the UK He later announced his second world tour as a headliner, which will visit North America and Europe, starting in March 2016. Mendes signed with modeling agency Wilhelmina Models in early 2016.

Artistry

Mendes has cited John Mayer, Ed Sheeran, Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars as his musical influences.

Discography

Main article: Shawn Mendes discography

Studio albums

• Handwritten (2015)

Tours

Headlining

• ShawnsFirstHeadlines (2014-15)
• Shawn Mendes World Tour (2016)

Co-headlining

• Jingle Ball Tour 2014 (2014)
• Jingle Ball Tour 2015 (2015)

Opening act

• Live on Tour (North America) (2014)
• The 1989 World Tour (North America) (2015)

Awards and nominations

Year	Ceremony	Award	Nominated	Result
2014	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Viner	Shawn Mendes	Nominated
		Choice Web Star: Male
		Choice Web Star: Music		Won
2015	Juno Awards	Breakthrough Artist of the Year		Nominated
	iHeartRadio Music Awards	Best Fan Army
	Canadian Radio Music Awards	Best New Group or Solo Artist: CHR	"Life of the Party"
	Shorty Awards	Vine Musician	Shawn Mendes	Won
	Radio Disney Music Awards	Best New Artist		Nominated
	Much Music Video Awards	Best Pop Video	"Something Big"
		Fan Fave Video		Won
		Fan Fave Artist or Group	Shawn Mendes	Nominated
		Most Buzzworthy Canadian
	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Web Star: Music		Won
		Choice Male Artist		Nominated
		Choice Summer Music Star: Male
		Choice Song: Male Artist	"Stitches"
		Choice Music: TV or Movie Song	"Believe" from Descendents
	Streamy Awards	Breakthrough Artist	Shawn Mendes	Won
	MTV Europe Music Awards	Best New
		Best Push
		Best Canadian Act		Nominated
2016	People's Choice Awards	Favourite Breakout Artist		Won
	Juno Awards	Artist of the Year		Nominated
		Fan Choice Awards
		Album of the Year	Handwritten
		Pop Album of the Year
	Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite New Artist	Shawn Mendes	Won
	iHeartRadio Music Awards	Best New Artist		Nominated
		Best Fan Army

[ Source: Wikipedia ]