Shawn Mendes quickly became one of the more prominent pop stars in the world, mimicking Justin Bieber's rise to the top. The two are eerily similar as both Canadian singers have enjoyed nearly-identical career trajectories. At one time, they even had eyes for the same girl. During a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Mendes felt a need to reiterate the fact that he is sexually attracted to women, revealing that he once had a fling with Hailey Baldwin. "I texted Hailey, 'Congratulations,' and I really am happy for them," he said about her marriage to Bieber. "She's still one of the fucking coolest people ever—she's not just a beautiful person visually, but she's one of the most beautiful hearts I've ever met."
The pop star admits that the attention placed on his personal life stresses him out a lot. He said, "I'd like to say I don't care about it, but that's not true." He noted that the main issue he wanted to address was "this massive, massive thing for the last five years about me being gay." He states that he's very insecure about how people view him, despite him knowing that being gay isn't a bad thing at all: "In the back of my heart, I feel like I need to go be seen with someone—like a girl—in public, to prove to people that I'm not gay."
His sexuality is something that he's addressed in the past, telling his fans that he dates women. The singer recently released his third studio album this year.