Shawn Mendes announces his first album after a hiatus due to mental health issues

After a two-year break to prioritize her mental health, Shawn Mendes is back in the spotlight with new music.

Mendes confirmed On Wednesday she will release her fifth studio album, “Shawn,” on Oct. 18. Two singles from the album, “Why Why Why” and “Isn’t That Enough,” will be released on Aug. 8, which coincides with the three-time Grammy nominee’s 26th birthday.

“Music really can be medicine,” Mendes said wrote on Instagram“Two years ago, I felt like I had no idea who I was. A year ago, I couldn’t walk into a studio without panicking. So to be here now with 12 beautiful songs finished feels like such a gift.”

“Honestly, thank God for my friends and family.” He continued“Life can be brutal, but having a small group of people you trust deeply to help you get through it makes it so much better. I have no idea how I would have gotten through the last few years, let alone made an album without you.”

In the press notes, “Shawn” is billed as “Mendes’ most musically intimate and lyrically honest work to date.” The singer’s announcement was accompanied by a teaser video in which he sings an acoustic version of “Isn’t That Enough” by a campfire.

Watch the trailer for Shawn Mendes’ new album, which includes the single “Isn’t That Enough,” below.

Mendes has maintained a low public profile since July 2022, when He cancelled her Wonder: The World Tour after just seven shows, citing the need for a break for mental health.

“I started this tour excited to finally get back to playing live after a long break due to the pandemic, but the reality is I wasn’t quite prepared for how difficult it would be to tour after this time away,” he wrote. On Instagram “After talking more with my team and working with an incredible group of healthcare professionals, it became even clearer to me that I need to take the time I never took personally to ground myself and come back stronger.”

Speech to the Wall Street Journal In February 2023, Mendes said he had been using his free time to attend therapy and “understand how I was feeling and what was making me feel that way.”

“I think the last year and a half has been the most revealing, beautiful, healing, and growing process of my life,” he explained. “I am also so grateful for all the people who accepted me, loved me, were kind to me, and understood me.”