9781422273296

He did, however, mange to play 22 shows with Swift, which was massive for Mendes, who up until that point had only played small stages around Canada. Stadiums were a different experience than the local fairs Mendes was used to. Staring into a sea of thousands of faces brought on a tough case of stage fright. Mendes turned to seasoned performer Swift for advice. After sharing with her how scared he was about messing up, Swift told him that everyone in the crowd was rooting for him and not there to pass judgement. This technique worked and with each tour stop, Mendes’ performing skills—and fans—grew and grew. NEW MUSIC AND NEW FANS With the tour gathering steam, Gelter advised Mendes of the importance of making sure fans have new, original music to listen to and that it was time to work on an album. Mendes wanted his first album to be authentic. Since he started out doing covers, it was especially important for fans to see his songwriting ability. Mendes was just beginning to experience fame, and he tapped into this experience to write his songs and inspire other young artists to do the same. The empowering anthem

Mendes was just a

high school junior when megastar Taylor Swift

asked him to go on tour with her.

15

a star is born