Shawn Mendes Plots Rock in Rio Performance, His First Since Canceling Tour to Prioritize Mental Health
Shawn Mendes is set to headline Rock in Rio for his first solo performance in two years.
The “Treat You Better” singer has been on a hiatus from touring since he canceled his 2022 “Wonder” tour to prioritize his mental health. He’ll return to the stage for Rock in Rio on Sept. 22 for the Brazilian music festival’s 40th anniversary.
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The festival will start on Sept. 13 and feature performances from Imagine Dragons, Ed Sheeran, Travis Scott, Katy Perry and more.
In a statement, Mendes shared, “I’ve missed being on stage and seeing you all in person so much! I’ve also been working on a new album and I can’t wait to play these new songs live for you. See you there. eu te amo!!!!”
Mendes hasn’t released an album since 2020’s “Wonder,” his fourth full-length LP to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. In these last four years, Mendes has only released singles including his June 2023 single, “What the Hell Are We Dying For?” At the time of the song’s release, Mendes told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that he had been “really struggling in the studio to find my voice and to find myself musically and to even have the courage just to be in the room with writers or step into the booth and sing,” he explained.
Mendes has slowly been making his way back into the spotlight, most recently by surprising fans when he joined Niall Horan on stage during the latter’s show in London on March 2. Earlier this January, the Grammy-nominated singer also candidly expressed the ways music was helping him cope with “extreme anxiety or fear.”
“If I sat down with my harmonium and allowed myself with full trust to sing whatever came out it would often ease the pain,” he wrote in a caption to an Instagram post. “It felt so difficult at first to let myself sing without needing perfection but after a while I actually started to fall in love with the dance between the “right” and the “wrong” notes… The only reason I can sing in key is because I’ve learned to listen.”
See Mendes’ announcement post below.
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