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Shawn Mendes Reveals the "Best Gift" He Received During Quarantine With Camila Cabello

Before the release of his brand-new album, Shawn Mendes opened up about the gifts he received while in quarantine with Camila Cabello’s family. Watch the exclusive sneak peek.

By Mike Vulpo Nov 16, 2020 8:00 PMTags

There's nothing holding Shawn Mendes back during quarantine.

At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the singer was faced with a lot of uncertainty when it came to touring and making new music. But in an exclusive sneak peek of his sit-down interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music, Shawn is opening up about the silver lining he found as he took time to slow down.  

"The pandemic that's happening and the isolation and the quarantine has been terrifying and really hard, but something really beautiful for me came out of it, which was you're not allowed to leave," the 22-year-old explained. "Stillness." 

"I went to Miami and I was living with Camila [Cabello] and her parents and her sister and I was in panic for the first week being like there's no way I'm going to make an album," Shawn continued. "And then when I started to settle in to how nice it is to be in the same place every night, to have a movie time, to cook dinner with the family and to do laundry. I know it sounds really kind of silly but when you've been touring the world since you're 15 years old, like, I don't remember the last time I smelled laundry. It's a nice smell. It's a really calming smell. It feels like growing up."

It also allowed for the Grammy winner to get creative and start from scratch on a brand-new album.

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Looking Back on Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello's Year of Viral Moments

Set to be released on Dec. 4, Wonder is Shawn's fourth studio album and filled with honest reflections after growing in more ways than one during the pandemic.

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"That stillness brought a lot of anxiety to the surface that I had to work through and on the other side of that was a really reflective period for me where I could be like, ‘Oh this is what I've been doing.  This is crazy. This is what I can do. This is art. This is bigger than me,'" Shawn explained. "It was the first time I had the chance to even think about someone more than me. It was the first time I had enough space in my heart and my head that wasn't so consumed about how many people were caring about what I was doing."

Instead of worrying about how many likes or streams he was getting, Shawn was able to turn his peace into powerful new music that is sure to be a hit with critics and fans alike.

"It was the first time I was quiet and I was able to be like, ‘What is happening in this world and how do I feel about it and what can I do and where does this go from here?'" Shawn shared. "That was the best gift I think I've ever, ever been given in my whole life."

Listen to Shawn's full interview when it airs Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 10:00 a.m PST on Apple Music.

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