Shawn Mendes (album) explained

Shawn Mendes
Type:studio
Artist:Shawn Mendes
Cover:Shawn Mendes - Shawn Mendes (Official Album Cover).png
Border:yes
Genre:Pop
Label:Island
Producer:
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Shawn Mendes (alternatively Shawn Mendes: The Album)[1] is the third studio album by Canadian singer Shawn Mendes, released through Island Records on May 25, 2018. It is primarily a pop record, with ingrained influences of pop rock, blues, and R&B. Mendes worked with Ryan Tedder, Julia Michaels, John Mayer, Ed Sheeran, Johnny McDaid, Camila Cabello, and Khalid. Among the producers are Tedder, Teddy Geiger, Louis Bell, Ian Kirkpatrick, with Mendes serving as an executive producer. It is a follow-up to his 2016 album Illuminate (2016).The album debuted at number one in Canada, making it Mendes' third number one album in his home country. It also debuted at the top of the US Billboard 200. It marked Mendes' third number one album in the US, making him the third youngest artist to top the chart at least three times. The album also topped the charts in Australia, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland. It received generally positive reviews from music critics.

The lead single, "In My Blood" peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and reached the top ten in several other countries. "In My Blood", "Lost in Japan", and "Youth" were certified gold or higher in Canada. The album was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album and "In My Blood" for Song of the Year at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.

On July 26, 2019, a deluxe version of the album including Mendes' "If I Can't Have You" and the Billboard Hot 100 number-one collaboration with singer Camila Cabello, "Señorita", were released on digital platforms and physical format in certain countries.[2]

Background

The album was recorded over three to four months, primarily at The Woodshed Studio in Malibu, California.[3] Recording sessions also took place in Port Antonio, Jamaica.[4] Mendes drew inspiration from music artists Justin Timberlake, Kings of Leon, Kanye West and Daniel Caesar while making the record.[5] In an interview with The Recording Academy, he declared:

Promotion

To announce the release date, album artwork, and title, Mendes hosted a 9-hour live video stream on YouTube, culminating on April 26, 2018, at midnight.[6] The livestream featured a crew setting up a floral arrangement to recreate the album's cover.

In promotion of the album, Mendes played a concert at the Ford Theatres in Hollywood on May 17, which was live-streamed by Apple Music and followed by a Q&A with radio presenter Zane Lowe.[7] In a surprise PR stunt, Mendes and his team made a stop at Simon Baruch Middle School in NYC, performing three acoustic songs off the new album. The recording of the performance, titled Shawn Mendes: Live In Los Angeles, was released by Apple Music.

Mendes also spent the week of June 4, 2018, on The Late Late Show with James Corden where he performed one of his new songs each night.[8] The full week event was hashtagged as LateLateShawn on social media. He also did a Carpool Karaoke episode where he sang some of his new songs alongside his old ones.[9]

Spotify invited Mendes’ fans for an intimate Spotify Fans First event held on July 19 at Beverly Hills, California.[10]

To promote the album, Mendes embarked on his third solo world tour, called .

Singles

"In My Blood" was released on March 22, 2018, as the album's lead single,[11] and sent to contemporary hit radio on March 27.[12] "Lost in Japan" was released as the second single on March 23, 2018.[13] "Youth", which features American singer Khalid, was released as the third single.[14] "Where Were You in the Morning?" was released as the fourth single on May 18.[15] "Nervous" was released as the fifth single on May 23.[16] "If I Can't Have You" and "Señorita" were originally released as standalone singles on May 3, 2019, and June 21, 2019, respectively. They were later added to the deluxe edition of the album.

Critical reception

Shawn Mendes received generally positive reviews from music critics, with particular praise towards Mendes' songwriting and artistic maturity compared to his previous work.

Ilana Kaplan from The Independent gave the album 4 of 5 stars, praising Mendes's maturity compared to his previous album: "With his latest effort, the 19-year-old singer moves beyond stereotypical relationship woes and goes for something more personal." In another positive review, Jem Aswad from Variety opined the album as a "remarkably well-crafted pop album that finds the singer trying on different styles, prominently showcasing his collaborators and making some flagrant references - yet his persona has become strong enough that he's never overpowered by any of it."[17] Hannah Mylrea of NME complimented Mendes's growth, calling his rock- and funk-inspired sound "a bright and bold new direction." Mike Nied of Idolator called it his best album to date, in addition to one of the best of the year so far.[18]

Jon Caramanica of The New York Times gave a mixed review, calling the album "appealing if not wholly engaging, full of pleasantly anonymous songs that systematically obscure Mr. Mendes's talents."[19] Jamieson Cox of Pitchfork gave a rating of 5.1 out of 10, noting that Mendes's songs lack a unique sound, "and you can imagine them being recorded by anyone: Nick Jonas, Charlie Puth, a random choice from the One Direction diaspora." In a three-star review, The Guardian Laura Snapes opined that Mendes's "attempt to detoxify pop masculinity is admirable, but you’re left yearning for a bit of rough and tumble."

Mark Kennedy of the Associated Press gave the album a positive review, praising the songwriting, hooks, as well as the duet with Khalid, but was unimpressed by "Like to Be You", the duet with singer Julia Michaels and "Fallin' All in You", co-written with Ed Sheeran and Johnny McDaid.[20] Maeve McDermott of USA Today highlighted "In My Blood" as one of the best songs, saying the album "nails the innocence, thrills and pain that’s unique to being 19, alone and hopeful." In contrast, Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone called "In My Blood" one of the album's weakest songs, favouring instead the collaborations with Michaels. Chris Gillet from South China Morning Post complimented Mendes' songwriting abilities as well, citing "Because I Had You", "Perfectly Wrong", and "When You're Ready" as the album's highlights, as well as acclaiming his vocal performance in "Perfectly Wrong," but was critical with "Queen" and "Fallin' All in You" labelling them "generic," he ended the review with awarding the album 4 out of 5 stars.

Accolades

Awards and nominations

YearOrganizationAwardResultRef.
2018People's Choice AwardsAlbum of 2018[21]
2019Grammy AwardsBest Pop Vocal Album[22]

Year-end lists

Accolades for Shawn Mendes
PublicationListRank
AllMusicThe AllMusic 2018 Year In Review: Favorite Pop Albums[23]
BillboardThe 50 Best Albums of 201822
City PagesEvery #1 album from 2018, ranked23[24]
PeopleTop 10 Albums of 20188
PopCrushBest Albums of 2018[25]
Rolling StoneThe 20 Best Pop Albums of 20189
TimeThe 10 Best Albums of 20184
Uproxx20 Must-Hear Pop Albums From 20188[26]
Young PostThe 20 best albums of 201816[27]

Commercial performance

Shawn Mendes debuted at number one on the Billboard Canadian Albums Chart with 32,000 album-equivalent units, becoming Mendes' third Canadian number-one album.[28] On October 3, 2018, Shawn Mendes was certified Platinum by Music Canada for shipments of 80,000 copies in the country.

Shawn Mendes debuted atop the ARIA Albums Chart, giving Mendes his first number-one album in Australia.[29] On the UK Albums Chart, the album opened at number three, with first-week sales of 23,419.[30]

Shawn Mendes debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 182,000 album-equivalent units (including 142,000 pure album sales), becoming Mendes' third consecutive US number-one album. This feat made Mendes the third youngest artist to top the chart with at least 3 albums, along with Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber. It also marks Mendes' best performing week ever, the fifth-best week of the year, and the second-biggest week for a pop album of the year, behind only Justin Timberlake's Man of the Woods.[31] Additionally, it became the second most streamed pop album in 2018 for the first week, behind Timberlake, and the most streamed on the first week on Apple Music, surpassing Timberlake's record.[31] [32]

Track listing

Credits adapted from iTunes Store metadata.[33]

Notes

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2018–2019)Peak
position
Japan Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[34] 60
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[35] 38
Mexican Albums (AMPROFON)[36] 2
South Korean Albums (Gaon)[37] 46
Slovak Albums (ČNS IFPI)[38] 7

Year-end charts

Chart (2018)Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[39] 17
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[40] 34
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[41] 27
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[42] 125
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[43] 19
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[44] 21
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[45] 9
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[46] 69
Italian Albums (FIMI)[47] 82
Mexican Albums (AMPROFON)20
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[48] 24
South Korean International Albums (Gaon)[49] 45
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[50] 53
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[51] 32
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[52] 58
UK Albums (OCC)[53] 59
US Billboard 200[54] 55
Chart (2019)Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[55] 30
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[56] 39
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[57] 12
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[58] 22
French Albums (SNEP)[59] 123
Icelandic Albums (Plötutíóindi)[60] 90
Mexican Albums (AMPROFON)[61] 27
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[62] 37
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[63] 56
US Billboard 200[64] 38
Chart (2020)Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[65] 76
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[66] 106
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[67] 50
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[68] 100
US Billboard 200[69] 90

Decade-end charts

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateFormatsEditionLabel
VariousMay 25, 2018StandardIsland[71] [72]
JapanMay 30, 2018 CDBonus TracksUniversal Music Japan[73]
VariousJuly 26, 2019
Japan, Brazil, EuropeOctober 9, 2019 CDUniversal[74]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Shawn Mendes: The Album is Out Now!!. Island Records. Universal Music Group. January 25, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143329/http://www.islandrecords.com/news/shawn-mendes-the-album-is-out-now/. June 12, 2018.
  2. Web site: Shawn Mendes - Shawn Mendes (Deluxe) . Discogs . 24 April 2022.
  3. Watch Shawn Mendes Give Fans a First Listen of His New Album at Secret Listening Session. Katie. Atkinson. May 23, 2018. Billboard. May 24, 2018.
  4. Web site: Shawn Mendes' Favourite Places in LA, Jamaica and Toronto. April 26, 2018. Sarah. James. Condé Nast Traveler. Condé Nast. May 24, 2018.
  5. Schiller. Rebecca. Shawn Mendes Talks Justin Timberlake-Inspired 'Lost in Japan,' Says He's 'Really Proud' of 'In My Blood': Watch. March 23, 2018. Billboard. March 23, 2018.
  6. Shawn Mendes Invites Fans to Tune Into Mysterious Live Stream: Watch . Ginsberg . Gab . March 25, 2018 . Billboard . March 26, 2018.
  7. News: Shawn Mendes to Play Special Set Featuring New Songs on Apple Music Live Stream. Rania. Aniftos. May 17, 2018. May 23, 2018.
  8. News: Shawn Mendes Is Crashing With James Corden At The Late Late Show For A Week . April 11, 2018 . CBS . April 26, 2018.
  9. Web site: Shawn Mendes Carpool Karaoke -- #LateLateShawn. . 24 August 2018.
  10. Web site: Shawn Mendes Meets His Biggest Fans from Spotify At a Special Event. 24 August 2018.
  11. Leight. Elias. Hear Shawn Mendes' Raw New Song 'In My Blood'. Rolling Stone. March 22, 2018. March 22, 2018.
  12. Web site: Top 40/M Future Releases. All Access Media Group. March 22, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180322123807/https://www.allaccess.com/top40-mainstream/future-releases. March 22, 2018.
  13. Schiller. Rebecca. Shawn Mendes Talks Justin Timberlake-Inspired 'Lost in Japan,' Says He's 'Really Proud' of 'In My Blood': Watch. Billboard. March 23, 2018. March 23, 2018.
  14. Honeycutt. Shanté. Shawn Mendes Announces New Song 'Youth' With Khalid. May 2, 2018. Billboard. May 1, 2018.
  15. Brandle. Lars. Shawn Mendes Is Heartbroken in 'Where Were You in the Morning': Listen. May 18, 2018. Billboard. May 18, 2018.
  16. Shawn Mendes Announces New Single 'Nervous' Will Be Released Wednesday. Abby. Jones. May 22, 2018. Billboard. The singer shared the artwork for "Nervous" on Instagram, and it will mark the fifth single from his self-titled LP, set to be released on May 25.. May 22, 2018.
  17. Web site: Album Review: 'Shawn Mendes'. Jem. Aswad. May 24, 2018. Variety. May 24, 2018.
  18. News: Nied. Mike. His Best Yet: Shawn Mendes' Expansive Self-Titled LP in Full. May 25, 2018. Idolator. May 25, 2018.
  19. Web site: Shawn Mendes Loses His Edge (Yes, He Had Edge). Jon. Caramanica. Jon Caramanica. May 23, 2018. The New York Times. May 25, 2018.
  20. Web site: Correction: Music Review-Shawn Mendes review. Mark. Kennedy. May 24, 2018. Associated Press. May 24, 2018.
  21. Web site: Macki . Johnni . 2018 People's Choice Awards: Complete List of Nominations . September 5, 2018 . . United States . December 7, 2018.
  22. Web site: 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards . December 6, 2018 . GRAMMY.com . en . December 7, 2018.
  23. Web site: The AllMusic 2018 Year In Review: Favorite Pop Albums. AllMusic. January 3, 2022. March 27, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190327021354/https://www.allmusic.com/year-in-review/2018/favorite-pop. live.
  24. Web site: Harris . Keith . Every #1 album from 2018, ranked . City Pages . January 3, 2022. January 4, 2019 . January 4, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190104234253/http://www.citypages.com/music/every-1-album-from-2018-ranked/503887481 . live .
  25. Web site: Best Albums of 2018 . . 10 December 2018 . January 3, 2022.
  26. Web site: White . Caitlin . Gilke . Chloe . 20 Must-Hear Pop Albums From 2018 . . January 3, 2022 . December 6, 2018 . December 9, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181209212612/https://uproxx.com/music/best-pop-albums-2018/ . live .
  27. Web site: Gillet . Chris . From BTS to Shawn Mendes: The 20 best albums of 2018 . Young Post . January 15, 2019 . December 30, 2018.
  28. Web site: On The Charts This Week. FYI Music News. June 4, 2018. June 4, 2018.
  29. News: Shawn Mendes Snares #1 Debut. June 2, 2018. Australian Recording Industry Association. June 2, 2018.
  30. Web site: Charts analysis: Greatest Showman holds on at albums summit. Alan. Jones. Music Week. June 1, 2018. subscription. June 2, 2018.
  31. Shawn Mendes Scores No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart. Billboard. Caulfield. Keith. June 3, 2018. June 4, 2018.
  32. Whittum. Connor. Shawn Mendes Has Biggest First Week for a Pop Album in 2018 on Apple Music. June 6, 2018. Billboard. June 6, 2018.
  33. Web site: Shawn Mendes by Shawn Mendes. iTunes Store. United States. May 11, 2018.
  34. Web site: Shawn Mendes on Billboard Japan Hot Albums. Billboard Japan. September 20, 2020. ja.
  35. Web site: Oricon – Shawn Mendes album rank. Oricon. ja. June 6, 2018.
  36. Web site: Los más vendidos 2018. January 24, 2019. es. Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. https://web.archive.org/web/20190124113504/http://centrodedesarrollodigital.com/amprofonanual/100.php. January 24, 2019.
  37. Web site: Gaon Album Chart – Week 21, 2018. Gaon Chart. ko. June 5, 2018.
  38. Web site: Slovak Albums – Top 100.. ČNS IFPI. 4 June 2018. Note: On the chart page, select "201822" on the field besides the word "Zobrazit", and then click over the word to retrieve the correct chart data.
  39. Web site: 2018 Annual ARIA Albums Chart. Australian Recording Industry Association. January 10, 2019.
  40. Web site: Ö3 Austria Top 40 Jahrescharts 2018: Longplay. Ö3 Austria Top 40. December 30, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180621222745/http://oe3.orf.at/charts/stories/2886108. June 21, 2018. dead.
  41. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 2018. Ultratop. December 21, 2018.
  42. Web site: Rapports Annuels 2018. Ultratop. December 21, 2018.
  43. Canadian Albums – Year-End 2018. Billboard. December 5, 2018.
  44. Web site: Album Top-100 2018. Hitlisten. da. January 16, 2019.
  45. Web site: Jaaroverzichten – Album 2018. MegaCharts. nl. January 5, 2019.
  46. Web site: Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts. de. GfK Entertainment. offiziellecharts.de. December 21, 2018.
  47. Web site: Classifiche Annuali Top of the Music FIMI/GfK 2018: Protagonista La Musica Italiana. it. Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. January 7, 2019. January 11, 2019. Download the attachment and open the albums file.
  48. Web site: Top Selling Albums of 2018. Recorded Music NZ. December 14, 2018.
  49. Web site: 2018년 Album Chart. Gaon Music Chart. ko. December 30, 2018.
  50. Web site: Top 100 Albums Annual 2018. El portal de Música. January 21, 2022.
  51. Web site: Årslista Album – År 2018. Sverigetopplistan. sv. January 15, 2019.
  52. Web site: Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2018 – hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. December 31, 2018.
  53. Web site: End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2018. Official Charts Company. January 4, 2019.
  54. Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2018. Billboard. December 5, 2018.
  55. Web site: ARIA End of Year Albums Chart 2019. Australian Recording Industry Association. January 10, 2020.
  56. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 2019. Ultratop. December 20, 2019.
  57. Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2019. Billboard. December 6, 2019.
  58. Web site: Album Top-100 2019. Hitlisten. da. January 15, 2020.
  59. Web site: Top de l'année Top Albums 2019. SNEP. fr. January 8, 2020.
  60. Web site: Tónlistinn – Plötur – 2019. Plötutíóindi. is. 1 April 2022.
  61. Web site: Top 100 México - Los más vendidos 2019. January 25, 2020. es . Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas . https://archive.today/20200125050400/http://centrodedesarrollodigital.com/amprofonanual/100.php. January 25, 2020.
  62. Web site: Top Selling Albums of 2019. Recorded Music NZ. December 21, 2019.
  63. Web site: Årslista Album, 2019. Sverigetopplistan. January 14, 2020.
  64. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2019. Billboard. December 6, 2019.
  65. Web site: ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2020. Australian Recording Industry Association. January 15, 2021.
  66. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 2020. Ultratop. December 18, 2020.
  67. Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2020. Billboard. December 9, 2020.
  68. Web site: Jaaroverzichten – Album 2020. MegaCharts. nl. January 6, 2021.
  69. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2020. Billboard. December 4, 2020.
  70. Decade-End Charts: Billboard 200. Billboard. November 15, 2019.
  71. Web site: Shawn Mendes - Shawn Mendes. Amazon.com. April 27, 2018. United States.
  72. Web site: Shawn Mendes by Shawn Mendes. iTunes Store. May 12, 2018. Australia.
  73. Web site: ショーン・メンデス [CD]]. Universal Music Japan. September 20, 2020.
  74. Web site: ショーン・メンデス -デラックス・エディション- [CD]]. Universal Music Japan. September 20, 2020.