Wonderland's Summer 2021 Issue is available NOW TO ORDER

Shawn Mendes in conversation with Kevin Abstract

“I still struggle with trying to fit into the shoes

of who I believe ‘Shawn Mendes’ should be…

at some point along the line, my expectations

and my standard of who I should be, the music

I should make, and the way I should look,

became so high that no matter what I did and

no matter how hard I was trying with my music,

I couldn't fit those shoes. If I even struggle to

[live up to] what I think I should be, I definitely

don't want to make it harder for the 14-year-old

kid in Canada to be who they are.”

At 14-years-old, he taught himself how to play

the guitar at home in his native Toronto. By 15,

he was on social media app Vine, amassing

over half a billion views before its subsequent

close quickly chucked him headfirst into the

spotlight – blissfully ambitious and unprepared

for what fame could throw at him. But unlike

other pop stars with a following as big as him,

each time he delves into his past, the narrative

isn’t the same polished, pre-packaged tale

churned out and chewed over by the mouths

of many. Mendes undoubtedly radiates in his

ability to be honest, repeatedly delving deeper

and deeper into the crippling anxieties and

struggles he’s faced as one of the biggest pop

stars of our generation. Perhaps because

underneath it all, Mendes is still just a

small-town boy from Canada who willingly

gave over his heart to music.

Ahead of eagerly awaited new music and a

rumoured global tour, Mendes covers our

summer issue delving into everything from

crippling self-pressures to unrealistic

expectations. In a refreshingly frank and

sincere conversation, Mendes opens up to

Kevin Abstract on everything from

comparison culture to the power of therapy,

and how he struggles to live up to the

idealistic projection of his own image.

Photographer: Max Montgomery

Fashion Direction: Gorge Villalpando

Entertainment Director + Producer: Erica Cornwall

Groomer: Anna Bernabé at The Wall Group
Styling: Tiffany Briseno

Editorial Director Huw Gwyther

Videographer: R.J. Goni 

Digital Tech: Aladdin Islim

Lighting Assistants: Thomas Patton and Daniel Byun

Fashion Coordinators: Anissa Silvas and Britt Frascht 

Fashion Assistants: Bree Banuelos and Nash Koshiro 

A very special thanks to @Mav_farm and @lost.show_w

Location thanks to Jack Joseph Puig and Linda Mathis 

Orders will be shipped from May onwards.