SHAWN MENDES GETS SPIRITUAL AS HE EMBARKS ON HIS BIGGEST TOUR YET

Shawn Mendes photographed by Sami Drasin on February 14, 2022 at The Park Santa Monica in Santa Monica, Calif. Styling by Tiffany Briseno. Grooming by Anna Bernabe at The Wall Group. BLK DNM sweater vest, David Yurman necklace, Elliot Gaskin rings.

hit a low point a few years ago,” Shawn Mendes admits, his brow furrowing beneath his shaggy curls.

The sun is setting over a Santa Monica, Calif., apartment complex, and Mendes is leaning forward from his seat as he explains a recent major life change: his embrace of spirituality. It started with meditation to bring a little balance to his chaotic life of pop stardom. That turned into reading religious texts, which turned into a deep dive on the Bhakti movement in Hinduism. For nearly a year, Mendes has spent every Thursday meditating and discussing scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita with Jay Shetty, the author of Think Like a Monk.

“I think everybody has a moment where they just decide it’s time to kind of do something different,” says Mendes matter-of-factly. Now spirituality is “a part of my life that is much bigger than I actually even let on.”