Shawn Mendes Finds It Hard To Be Taken Seriously As a Teen in the Music Industry

Shawn Mendes was just named the number one musician in Billboard‘s annual 21 Under 21 list.

In an new interview, the “Mercy” singer opens up about navigating the music industry as someone who is still a teen.

“It’s hard being a young artist and being taken seriously,” Shawn admits. “I still feel I have a ways to go because there’s always that stigma.”

He adds, “But the reality is that as I’ve grown, my fans grow with me, and I think eventually it will come.”

Shawn also reveals that the best advice he got from his peers was from Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift, who were both teens when they also started in the industry.

“Early on, [Ed] told me to just keep working and not to stop,” he says. “And Taylor [Swift] on her tour telling me that when you get on stage, everyone there just wants to have a good time, and not to stress much about it, it really helped my confidence.”