Getty ImagesUPDATE: Justin Bieber has changed his tune. The "What Do U Mean" singer posted the following apology to Shawn Mendes:
"Shawn I checked out the music and I'm so proud! So glad to see another boy from Canada crushin it. #canadiansdoitbetter"
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Either Bieber really has no idea who Mendes is, or he just delivered a healthy dose of pop star shade à la Mariah Carey.
The "What Do You Mean?" singer recently sat down with New York radio station 95.5's "Ralphie Tonight" show, and when asked if Justin had any advice for the fellow Canadian singer, the Biebs offered an effortlessly icy, "Who's Shawn Mendes?"
After explaining what the 17-year-old YouTube and Vine sensation has been up to recently (a debut No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 charts), Bieber nonchalantly said, "Nice. Nice. Good for him."
It's perfectly plausible that amidst Bieber's VMAs sob fest, beer shotgunning failure and platinum blond hair debut that Mendes never made it on the comeback kid's radar, but an April interview Shawn did with the Toronto Sun might reveal otherwise.
The "Stitches" crooner says he doesn't want to be known as the "next Justin Bieber," adding, "[Justin's] stuff and style are totally different. When I play shows it's just me and the guitar, so it's kind of unique. I mean, I really look up to Ed Sheeran. I really look up to Bruno Mars, and yeah, Justin's great too."
See? Not all bad! After all, Bieber admitted he'll "check [Mendes] out, for sure."