Fans haven’t quite gotten over Shawn Mendes’s underwear-clad photos from his Calvin Klein campaign that broke the Internet earlier this year, but there are newly released photos of the popstar for us to fawn over…fully clothed this time.
His feature in The Guardian's Observer Magazine focuses on his rise to fame – starting with YouTube and Vine, to now, selling out entire stadiums. He’s referred to by the magazine as the “red-hot poster boy of pop.” When asked how his success in the spotlight has affected his life, he mentions that “outside of all this, I live a really normal life,” but walking down the street, he’ll never say no to a selfie with a fan.
Despite his love of performing, Mendes reveals that appearing shirtless on camera also has a certain spark to it, referring to his time in front of the camera as “a huge moment” for him. As much as he’s been loving the photo ops, he admits, “There’s nothing like being on a stage – you feel like Superman!”
A million selfies and a countless sold-out shows later, Mendes is coming for the “Prince of pop” crown, but Justin Bieber isn’t going down without a fight.
Mendes has taken to Instagram to reveal the magazine's cover, featuring the tagline, “Prince of pop,” and Bieber simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a playful clapback. “Gonna have to break a few more records to dethrone my title there bud,” Bieber writes.
He continues on by challenging his fellow Canadian singer to a game of hockey over the metaphorical crown. That’s a game we’d all show up for – even the Mendes Stans coming for Bieber in the post’s comment section.
Mendes shot back on Instagram, "LOL any time any day you just let me know!!!!!!"